


Golden

by tay_tay19



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anxiety Attacks, Background Character Death, Editor Akaashi Keiji, Injury, M/M, Parenthood, Post-Time Skip, Pro Volleyball Player Bokuto Koutarou, Sign Language, Single Father Akaashi, cop daichi, selective mutism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 49,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28258755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tay_tay19/pseuds/tay_tay19
Summary: After the death of his wife, Akaashi Keiji is left to raise their two sons Kei and Shouyou with the help of his friends Daichi and Suga. Traumatized by his mother's death Kei hasn't spoken in three years. A suggestion from his therapist leads Akaashi to enrolling Kei in a volleyball club run by Daichi's partner and a couple of professional volleyball players. Including Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi's high school boyfriend.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Shimizu Kiyoko/Tanaka Ryuunosuke (mentioned)
Comments: 128
Kudos: 351
Collections: My favorite haikyuu fics, Only chaptered  AU’s





	1. Chapter 1

Akaashi is woken before his alarm by the sound of a scream. It only takes him a few seconds to register that it’s an angry scream and not one of pain or fear. He puts a hand on his chest and takes a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart before he slips out of bed and heads down the hallway towards the sound of yelling. The noise is coming from his eldest son’s room and when he pushes the door open he is not at all surprised by the scene in front of him. His eldest son, Kei, stands in front of the bed with his hands on his hips and his golden-brown eyes shooting an icy glare through thick-framed glasses at the bundle of blankets on his bedroom floor. For a moment Akaashi thinks that the look would be rather scary if it didn't come from a six-year-old with sleep mussed blonde curls clad in dinosaur footie pajamas. The bundle of blankets on the floor moves and reveals the youngest Akaashi boy. Shouyou's bright orange curls stick out in every direction and his tiny fists are clenched as he wiggles about on the floor throwing a tantrum. Akaashi lets out a long sigh, he'd hoped that the terrible two's would have been over now that Shouyou was three. 

"Boys it's too early," he scolds them as he moves into the room. He lifts Shouyou off the ground and holds the small toddler over his shoulder. He'll have to apologize to the neighbors again for the noise. Shouyou has started to quiet down some now that he's being held but big fat tears still pour from his eyes and there's a glob of snot hanging from his nose. "What happened?" 

"Kei… Kei pushed me!" Shouyou sobs as he rubs his face into his father’s shirt. 

"It's not time to wake up yet Shouyou. Why are you in Kei's room?" Akaashi leans against the wall and looks at his oldest. Kei has climbed back into his bed and is carefully placing his folded glasses onto the nightstand with care. He doesn't speak, he hasn't in years actually, he just pulls his blanket up to his chin and turns his back to the door. Akaashi moves out of the room and heads back to Shouyou's to get him cleaned up. 

"I wanna sleep with Kei" Shouyou whines. Akaashi sets him down on his own bed and then gets a wipe to clean the toddler's face with. 

"Shouyou, baby we talked about this remember? Kei is a big boy and that means that he needs his own space sometimes. When you wake up early you can come to my room okay?" He tosses the wipe into the trash can with practiced ease then helps Shouyou out of his pajamas, now that they're up they might as well start the process of getting ready for the day. 

"But I want Kei," Shouyou sniffles. Akaashi wishes that there was something he could do. His boys were like night and day when it came to their personalities. Shouyou was always so bright and energetic. He bounced about from one thing to the next and his mouth was always moving. He made friends no matter where they were and was never shy. Kei on the other hand was very subdued. He always seemed to be mad at the world. He didn't like to be around people and hated to be touched. He'd hide behind Akaashi's legs whenever people tried to address him. He also hadn't spoken in three years. Not to Akaashi nor any of the multiple therapists or doctors or teachers that had tried. It wasn't that he couldn't speak, he just refused. The doctors called it psychogenic mutism. The last time that Kei had spoken had been the day that Shouyou was born. 

Akaashi blames himself. He should have been home with his family, he'd left for Kyoto on a business trip and left his wife and Kei at home. His wife wasn't supposed to be due for another six weeks but she'd suddenly gone into labor at home. Little three-year-old Kei had called 1-1-9. He'd unlocked the front door and because the ambulance hadn't been fast enough and the toddler had been there as his mom gave birth on the kitchen floor. The paramedics had arrived but she had lost too much blood and Shouyou hadn't cried and in all the chaos the paramedics rushed her and the newborn to the hospital and Kei was left behind. Alone in the house with a kitchen covered in blood.

He doesn't know exactly how long the toddler had been left alone. He'd received a call from the hospital that his wife and the baby had been admitted. The next flight back to Tokyo had been two hours later and the flight itself took an hour. He'd gotten to the hospital and had been informed that his wife hadn't made it but the baby had. He was in such a state of shock that he doesn't know how much time passed before he asked where Kei was. A cop had been in the hospital, being treated for a dog bite. He'd heard Akaashi's desperate attempts to find his son and had offered to go to the house. The officer, Daichi Sawamura, had found Kei in the blood-soaked kitchen. Akaashi would probably be in Daichi's debt forever. The young cop had packed a bag of Kei's clothes and taken the toddler home with him to his boyfriend Suga. Suga was a daycare worker and had experience with kids. He got Kei cleaned up and into fresh clothes, fed him, and tucked him into the couple's own bed. Akaashi would probably owe them for the rest of his life. It'd been nearly midnight by the time he was able to leave the hospital. Daichi had picked him up and brought him to their apartment. Suga treated him like an old friend, made sure that he showered and ate some food, and then tucked him into bed beside his son. Kei had woken up then. Akaashi will always remember that moment. The room lit only by the moonlight coming through the window, the haunted look in Kei's eyes. He'd spoken his last words then. "Papa, Shouyou hurt mama." Akaashi's heart had broken. He'd hugged his son tight in his arms and for the first time that day he had cried.

He blames himself for Kei's silence. For the pain, the child must go through every day. Akaashi does everything he can to comfort him. Daichi and Suga became a regular part of their lives after that first night. Akaashi had no family and so it felt good to have someone to rely on. Shouyou was born too early. He was too small, too fragile. He'd spent the first two months of his life in the hospital. When he came home Kei refused to go anywhere near him. He wanted nothing to do with the infant that had taken his mom away. Akaashi moved them into the same apartment complex as Daichi and Suga. They helped him adjust to life as a single parent with an infant and a silent toddler. Kei latched onto Suga, and Akaashi could understand why. The silver-haired man had the same warm and calming aura as his mother had. 

As Shouyou grew Kei's complete aversion faded away. He begrudgingly accepted the existence of the little ball of sunshine in their lives but his patience was always thin. It didn't take much for Shouyou to push his buttons but after three years it was getting a little better, except for when Shouyou invaded Kei's personal space. Kei's bedroom was supposed to be a Shouyou free zone and Akaashi did his best to keep Shouyou out. He knew that it was easy for Kei to get overwhelmed and he needed his privacy. 

Akaashi was attempting to wrestle Shouyou into a T-shirt when they heard the front door open and then close again. Shouyou bounced with excitement and slipped from Akaashi's hold to race to the front door, his shirt only half on. Akaashi sighed and followed the toddler down the hall. 

"Whoa there Shouyou," Daichi said cheerfully. He was still in his uniform just off the night shift and had a pastry box in one hand and a drink tray in the other. Akaashi's mouth practically watered at the smell of the coffee. 

"Oh that smells heavenly," he sighed as he detached Shouyou from Daichi's legs. 

"Doesn't it? I got off early and figured you might need it." Daichi looked over Akaashi's snot stained shirt and raised an eyebrow. "Apparently I was right. Rough morning?"

"Kei-chan pushed me and I fell off the bed and went boom!" Shouyou exclaimed. Akaashi was really going to have to bake something for their neighbors. Shouyou just couldn't grasp the concept of an indoor voice. 

"Shh," Daichi shushed the toddler with a smile as he made his way into the kitchen. He puts the drinks and the box onto the counter then takes off his belt and puts it on top of the fridge before leaning down to scoop Shouyou into his arms. "Here I got your coffee. Me and Shouyou will get breakfast started while you get dressed." Daichi picks up a coffee from the carrier and gives it to Akaashi before focusing on Shouyou and wrestling him the rest of the way into his shirt. Akaashi takes a sip of the coffee and lets out a sigh. 

"I could kiss you Daichi," he grinned. Daichi's cheeks flushed a bit. 

"Keep your lips off my man or I'll end you," Suga's voice sings from the doorway as he slips his shoes off. 

"If he keeps bringing me coffee I can't make any promises," Akaashi presses a kiss to Daichi's cheek then winks as he heads to his room. He kisses Suga's cheek as well as he passes the silver-haired man. "Kei-Kun Suga is here," he calls out as he passes his bedroom. Kei's head peeks out the door, his curls more in order now, and his PJs swapped for his school uniform. Akaashi drops a kiss to the top of his head before going to his room. 

He takes down the suit he'd hung on the closet door last night and changes into it, being careful not to wrinkle it. Akaashi is the type of person who likes to have things planned out. He likes a routine and order, unfortunately, with two children in the house, it's something that rarely happens. He stands in front of his mirror and straightens out his sleeves and his tie. He took his current job after his wife had passed. His old job involved a lot of traveling and he couldn't bear to leave the boys behind.

He'd wanted to be a literary editor but he'd ended up working for a manga magazine and it wasn't so bad. He'd been working with mostly the same few mangaka since he'd started there. He'd like to consider them friends of some sort. Akaashi fixes his hair in the mirror, adding a bit of product to keep his own dark curls under control. He puts his glasses on last and then makes his way out to the kitchen. 

"And then the bear went zooooom!" Shouyou yells. He's sitting on his knees in a chair, his face and hands covered in chocolates and sprinkles. Kei sits across from him eating his donut much more neatly. 

"No way," Daichi chuckles from the kitchen. He's putting together four bentos, Suga plastered to his back half asleep. Akaashi feels a bit bad, he knows that Suga doesn't sleep well when Daichi is on nights. 

"Daichi, I'm gonna need you to stop being so attractive or I really will try to steal you," he teases as he grabs a donut for himself. Suga raises his head just enough to stick his tongue out. 

"Suck an egg Akaashi, you're just jealous cause Daichi's the perfect man," Suga stands on his tiptoes to press a messy kiss to Daichi's cheek. 

"I am jealous," Akaashi sits at the table and grabs Shouyou to try and clean him up a bit. 

"What's suck an egg mean papa?" Shouyou asks, trying to pull his face away from the napkin. 

"Ask your teacher," Suga tells him. He drops his head back onto Daichi's shoulder and closes his eyes again. Daichi kisses his temple with a gentle smile and finishes up the four lunches. He detaches Suga and sets him in a chair then puts bentos in both the kids' backpacks and then sets one next to Akaashi's briefcase. 

"Do you need Suga to take Kei-kun in with him?" Daichi asks. He pulls Suga back to his feet and wraps an arm around his waist to keep him standing. Akaashi looks at Kei. 

"Do you want me to take you to school?" He asks gently. Kei nods his head just a bit then eats the last bite of his donut. He wipes his face with a napkin then walks out of the kitchen. 

"No, we're good. I'll drop Shouyou at daycare and then me and Kei can take the train to his school. But if Suga can get him after class it would be a big help. I have a meeting in the afternoon today,” Akaashi gives up on cleaning up Shouyou for the moment. He'll have to change the toddler's clothes again before he can take him to daycare. 

"No problem. I'll remind him," Daichi gets his belt from the top of the fridge and hangs it over his shoulder then grabs the last bento. 

"Thanks, Daichi, you're a lifesaver saver as always," Akaashi gets up and walks the pair to the door. Daichi smiles at him as he helps Suga into his shoes. 

"Don't mention it Akaashi. You and the boys are family. We'll help with whatever you need," Daichi puts his own shoes on and then leads Suga out the door and back to their own apartment. Akaashi takes a deep breath and then goes to grab Shouyou. Somehow he manages to get the toddler cleaned up and changed without ending up with chocolate on his own suit and by the time he's got Shouyou ready Kei is standing by the door waiting for them, his backpack on and Shouyou's backpack in his hand. Akaashi smiles at his son and gives him a kiss on the forehead. He helps Shouyou into his shoes and then the three of them are headed out of the building. 


	2. Chapter 2

The mornings when Akaashi is able to leave the house with both his boys are some of his favorites. Shouyou’s daycare is between the apartment and the train station so the three of them walk there together. Akaashi holds Kei’s hand on the way and he has to carry Shouyou because the hyperactive toddler can never just walk calmly. He’s usually pretty still when being carried. He chatters the whole way there, about his dreams and how Daichi is the best because he’s always bringing them sweets. Today is no different. He wraps his little arms around Akaashi’s neck and flashes his bright smile at everyone they pass. 

Akaashi can see a lot of his wife, Runa, in both of the boys. She’d been just a bit taller than Akaashi with long white-blonde hair and a smile that could light up the darkest room. Shouyou’s personality was a lot like hers. She’d always been loud and easily excitable, determined to try her best in everything. Runa had been an exchange student from Denmark, she was two years older than Akaashi but they’d both ended up working together at the campus bookstore and something about her personality had drawn him in. They’d never planned for what they had to be long term, they started it knowing that Runa would be going home at the end of the year. But then they’d found out she was pregnant. They didn’t really have a wedding. The ceremony was short and attended only by their immediate families. 

Even with the unorthodox start of their relationship Akaashi felt that he and Runa had a good thing. They understood each other and supported each other. Runa had always dreamed of being a mother and she’d loved Kei fiercely. She would have loved Shouyou just as much. 

Akaashi wished that she’d be around to watch the boys grow. He’d always been so nervous about being a parent and to do it alone made it even harder. He barely remembers the first year of Shouyou’s life. Kei had night terrors that woke him up at all hours of the night screaming, by the time Shouyou had come home from the hospital he’d had colic and never really slept to begin with. Akaashi had gone through life on autopilot. He probably wouldn’t have made it if it hadn’t been for Suga. 

The silver-haired man had started teaching elementary school and he showed up in the middle of the night at the start of his winter break from teaching. He’d manhandled Akaashi into bed with a pair of noise-canceling headphones and a white noise soundtrack. He spent his entire break staying up at night with both the children so that Akaashi could get some real sleep and by the end of it Shouyou had started to sleep better at night.

Daichi had helped in a big way too. He’d recommended a child psychologist that he and Suga had known in school. Kiyoko Tanaka was a godsend and a miracle worker. Though she hadn’t yet been able to help Kei start speaking again she’d managed to help him with his night terrors, separation anxiety, and even taught him and Akaashi sign language so that they could communicate, Kei still tended to only use it at home but it was still a step in the right direction. She'd been more help than any of the therapists they'd seen before.

The weather is a bit nicer than it has been so their walk to the daycare doesn’t take that long. Kei can’t stand being in the room full of screaming toddlers so like usual he chooses to take Akaashi’s briefcase and plop himself down onto the bench out front to wait while Akaashi goes inside. It’s not that large of a daycare, with just around five kids in each of the age groups. Akaashi likes that since Shouyou has a tendency to need a lot of supervision. His current teacher Asahi Azumane is a tall man with long hair usually pulled back in a bun. Akaashi had been a little unsure about the rough looking man at first but it hadn’t taken long for Shouyou to warm up to him at all and the more Akaashi saw of him the more he realized that the man was really just a big softie. 

“Oh! It’s Shouyou-kun!” Azumane says as he stands back up from where he’d been playing with one of the children. Shouyou clings just a little tighter to Akaashi and hides his face against his father’s neck. 

“Don’t you want to play with Azumane-sensei?” Akaashi asks, rubbing gentle circles on his son’s back. 

“I wanna go work with Papa!” Shouyou shakes his head vigorously as he speaks and Akaashi is sure the tears are going to start soon. He hates having to leave Shouyou while he’s crying. 

“I’m sorry Shouyou. Papa is gonna be in meetings all day. You’d be bored all day.” Akaashi manages to get Shouyou’s grip loosened and hands him over to Azumane. Shouyou starts to cry, then he reaches towards Akaashi and makes grabby hands. “Suga will pick you up later okay baby. You guys will do something fun together until I get home. You’ll have so much fun you won’t even notice I’m gone.” He holds Shouyou’s hands with both of his own as he leans forward to press a kiss to the wild orange curls before he hurries out of the room with one last wave. 

Akaashi has barely stepped out of the daycare when Kei is jumping to his feet and moving back to his side with the briefcase clasped in both hands. Akaashi can’t help the smile as he takes it from him.

“Thank you, Kei. Ready to go to school?” He asks gently. Kei nods his head, his blonde curls bouncing. Akaashi takes his hand and heads towards the train station. It’s a lot quieter now that it’s just the two of them but he enjoys the walk all the same. Since Suga cares for the kids after school it’s not often that Akaashi gets time alone with just Kei. He tries to give both boys equal amounts of attention but Shouyou is so hyper all the time that it’s hard. 

The train isn’t too crowded this morning and Akaashi is actually able to find a seat. He sits down and then lifts Kei up onto his lap so they don’t take up too much space. Kei is taller than most kids his age and has on occasion even been mistaken for a middle schooler. Akaashi didn’t mind any weird looks they got though, Kei wasn’t that affectionate so it was rare for Akaashi to be able to cuddle him and he liked to take advantage of the early morning rides. 

“Is your new teacher okay?” He asks, Kei’s only in the first grade but he’s had to switch schools twice since preschool. A few of the teachers he’s had weren’t as understanding of his mutism. They thought that just because there wasn’t a physical issue that they could hold it against him when he wouldn’t speak up in class. It’s why he was attending Suga’s school now. It was further from the apartment and since it was a private school it cost a lot. Thankfully Runa had left money for the boys and her family was rather well off. Her parents never came to visit but they paid half of the school fees. Akaashi felt better knowing that there was someone he could trust at the school. If Kei had trouble during the day he could just go to Suga. 

Not to mention the fact that Suga had all the other staff there tricked into thinking he was some kind of angel or something. He couldn’t be out at work so he had a lot of admirers (though how any of them missed the fact that his last name changed during his career there Akaashi isn’t sure). Kei’s teacher was new though, his previous teacher had left for maternity leave and they’d brought in a newer teacher. Akaashi hadn’t had a chance to meet with him and he worried that this new teacher wouldn’t work out. 

Kei’s face scrunches up at the mention of the teacher and he quickly signs “ _ he’s so loud”.  _

“Louder than Shouyou?” Kei nods his head vigorously then covers his ears. “Do you want me to come in and meet him today? I can go into work a little late.” 

He’s technically supposed to be into work by 9 but he doesn’t have any meetings scheduled and they’re at the slow point in the work they do need to get done. He should have at least another week or two before the crunch starts. Kei nods his head a bit more hesitantly this time, twisting his fingers on his lap. Akaashi recognizes it as one of his own habits and he isn’t sure if he should feel happy about it or not. Either Kei had just started it on his own or he’d seen Akaashi do it when he was nervous or upset. 

“Okay, I’ll walk you to your class today. Has he asked you to answer any questions or anything?” Akaashi runs his fingers through Kei’s curls, making sure to smooth them back into place each time. Kei shakes his head just a bit and leans back against Akaashi’s chest, closing his eyes. There are only a few more stops until they reach their station but it's so rare for Kei to want to cuddle that Akaashi doesn’t try to keep him awake.

***

Kei wasn’t kidding when he said his teacher was loud. Akaashi can already hear his voice in the hallway from two classrooms down. He shares a look with his son then knocks lightly on the classroom door before entering the room. Kei’s new teacher, Nishinoya, is a short man with impressively spiked hair. It makes Akaashi think about high school, he remembers the way it felt to try and run his fingers through gel covered hair. 

“Oooh! An adult!” Nishinoya bounces over to them and Kei ducks behind his father, holding onto his suit jacket.

“Good morning Nishinoya-sensei,” Akaashi bows a bit, “I’m sorry to interrupt. I’m Kei’s father. Akaashi Keiji.”

“Nice to meet you Akaashi-san. Oh! Keiji and Kei! I like that,” Nishinoya gives an energetic thumbs up and Akaashi feels a bit like he needs a nap just from being around the other man. 

“Yes, his mother liked the idea… I just wanted to introduce myself to you in case you had any questions or concerns about Kei’s classroom involvement,” Akaashi explained. Nishinoya put his hands on his hips and tilted his head just a bit as though he was thinking about something. 

“He’s so smart!” the small man suddenly blurts. It makes Akaashi jump just a bit and Kei uses the distraction to flee to the back of the classroom to put up his backpack. 

“Yes, he’s always done well academically. Though teachers in the past have expressed concerns about his socialization,”

“He’s just a little quiet right? That’s no biggy. He eats lunch with Yamaguchi-kun most days so I’m not too worried,”

“I’m glad to hear that he’s making friends,” Akaashi’s a bit surprised by it actually. His last teacher had never mentioned anything about Kei having a friend. He watches his son now as he sits at his desk, a small brunette with a face full of freckles plops down at the desk beside him and chats cheerfully while Kei organizes his desk for the day. 

“Oh yeah, they’re like BFFs. Yamaguchi-kun follows him around like a little duckling. Oh! Akaashi-kun is Sawamura-sensei’s nephew right?” 

“Mm yes in a way. If Kei has any issues during the day feel free to bring it up to Suga, sorry Sawamura-sensei. He’ll also be dropping Kei off and picking him up a few days a week. Sawamura Daichi is also permitted to pick him up.” 

“The Sawamura’s are approved for pick up, got it. I’ll remember that. Ah, Akaashi-kun must have to hang around school pretty often then if he has to wait for Sawamura-sensei. It’s easier for me to do my grading and stuff here without any distractions so I’ll tell Akaashi-kun he can hang out in the classroom anytime.”

“Thank you Nishinoya-sensei. Kei has struggled a lot since his mother passed as I’m sure you’ll see in his records. He often gets overwhelmed by crowds and loud voices. Like I mentioned before, you can contact Sawamura-sensei for anything. He knows how to help Kei manage his panic attacks.” 

“Oh, panic attacks. I’m good at helping out with those. My boy-” Nishinoya coughs and then clears his throat a few times. “My roommate gets panic attacks a lot.”

“I see… Well, I’m glad to see that you’re so understanding. I probably baby him a bit but I don’t want to force Kei into situations that make him uncomfortable.” Akaashi fidgets a bit with the handle of his briefcase and glances back towards Kei. “I’ll leave him in your hands then, thank you Nishinoya-sensei.” He bows a bit then makes sure Kei sees him wave as he leaves the classroom. He sends a quick text to Suga as he makes his way back to the train station.

**Akaashi: Thoughts on Nishinoya-sensei?**

**Suga: Totally plays 4 our team. Keeps slipping up about bf**

**Akaashi: did while talking to me too. Also its your team.**

**Suga: u play for both teams**

**Suga: Ive seen you looking at Dai’s butt**

**Akaashi: yeah but who doesn’t? All his pants are so tight**

**Suga: fair.**


	3. Chapter 3

Akaashi would like to think that he’s pretty good at his job, but it’s not really his passion and he’s nowhere near as dedicated as some of his other coworkers. He’s usually the last one to arrive in the morning and the first one to leave as soon as the workday is done. He doesn’t go out drinking with his coworkers and he never volunteers to work extra hours. His focus most of the time is to get home to his boys as soon as possible. The company doesn’t complain though, Akaashi always has his work done on time and he goes out of his way to make sure that the mangaka he works with stays on top of their deadlines. He’s had a lot of practice with pulling people out of slumps and getting them motivated. 

He gets along pretty well with the people that he sees in regards to work outside of the office but it feels like his coworkers resent him a little for not really being there. He tries to spend as much time out of the office as he can because of it. Wednesday’s though are a special situation. On his calendar, it’s marked that he has a meeting with Tenma Udai every Wednesday from four until five to discuss his current projects. This meeting is actually false though. Akaashi and Udai had become something like friends while working together and the mangaka was more than happy to help him out. 

Wednesdays were actually Kei’s therapy days. Akaashi would use the meetings with Udai as an excuse to leave the office early and then would pick Kei up at school to take him to Kiyoko’s office. This Wednesday was no different. Akaashi announced to his manager that he’d be going to his meeting with Udai and then slipped out of the office and drove to the school. He’d borrowed Suga’s car because the weather called for rain. 

He found Kei hanging out in Suga’s classroom, plastic dinosaur toys in either hand as he moved about the room. Suga was at his desk grading papers with soft music playing. Akaashi watched his son from the doorway for a moment, enjoying the peaceful look on his face as his lips moved it mouth the dinosaur's silent roars. He missed the sound of his son playing. 

“Kei-kun look Papa is here,” Suga’s voice broke the peace of the room. Kei seemed to perk up just a bit and he hurried across the room to show one of the dinosaur toys to his father. It wasn’t one that Akaashi recognized and he wondered vaguely where his son kept getting all these new dinosaurs. 

“Hey Kiddo,” Akaashi greeted him with a kiss to the top of his head, then he took the new dinosaur to examine it closely. “We’ll have to look this one up in the book when we get home, I don’t recognize it,” he admitted. Kei nodded his head, looking more excited about doing dinosaur research than he did pretty much everything else. 

“Daichi’s making udon for dinner tonight, and don’t worry we’ll pick up Shouyou on our way home,” Suga smiled at them from his desk. 

“Thank you, Suga. You guys really are lifesavers,” 

“Oh, I know. I’m amazing. You’re lucky to have me in your life,” Suga nodded along with his own words and Akaashi had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. 

“You’re so humble Suga,” He teased. The silver-haired man shot him a wide grin and an over-exaggerated wink, Akaashi had to turn away to hide his huff of laughter. “Ready to go see Tanaka-sensei?” he asked his son. Kei nodded his head then quickly stored his dinosaurs back in his backpack before grabbing a hold of Akaashi’s hand and pulling him out of the school to the parking lot. 

By car, it only took twenty minutes to get to Kiyoko’s office from the school. The office was tucked inside a bigger medical complex but the office itself was small and quaint, consisting of only the reception area and then the office itself. When they got there Akaashi let his son flip the switch on the wall that would alert Kiyoko that they’d arrived while he himself took a seat on one of the couches and took some work from his briefcase. Kei set his backpack down at his father's feet then removed the new dinosaur. He held it in both hands and fidgeted while he watched the office door.

It didn’t take long for Kiyoko’s previous appointment to finish. It was with a small blonde-haired girl who was probably younger than Kei. They saw her every week as her appointment was always before Kei’s. Her mother was never in the waiting room though. The little girl often had to wait in the reception area before her mother came in and Akaashi always wondered what could be so important that she couldn’t wait.

“Hello Akaashi-san,” Kiyoko greeted softly. Akaashi nodded at her in greeting as Kei rushed into her office. They had an unspoken agreement that Akaashi would look after the small girl until her mom showed up. He never actually spoke to her, he thought that it might seem a bit weird if he did, so he didn’t actually know her name or anything else about her. She always just sat in the toy corner and played quietly until her mom showed up. Today it only took her twenty minutes thankfully so the girl didn’t have time to grow bored. There had been a few days when She’d still been there as Kei and Akaashi made their way home. 

Once the girl has been picked up Akaashi tries to focus a bit more on his work but he’s distracted. There’s a tightness in his chest and he knows what it is but he can’t acknowledge it. He doesn’t think about high school anymore. There’s plenty of good reasons for it but seeing that teachers ridiculously spiked hair had brought back some of the memories. Akaashi makes himself take a deep breath and he counts backward from one hundred. He’s almost back to the single digits when the office door opens and Kiyoko peeks out.

“Akaashi-san, could you join us for a bit?” She asks. Akaashi nods his head and puts his paperwork back into his briefcase quickly then follows Kiyoko back into the office. Kei is kneeling on the floor in front of a coffee table that's littered with crayons and several sheets of printer paper that’s been colored on. Akaashi sits down on the couch and watches Kei as he works diligently on his current drawing. 

“Is everything alright?” He asks, it’s not often that Kei wants him to sit in during his sessions. 

“Oh yes of course. Kei-kun was actually just telling me about school and his new teacher,” Kiyoko explains. 

“Ah, he mentioned something about his volume this morning,” Akaashi folds his hands on his lap and tries not to twist his fingers.

“Mm yeah, he mentioned that. Actually, he was telling me about his friend Yamaguchi and how today during gym the teacher taught them all how to play volleyball. Kei-kun said that you used to play volleyball and that he watches it on tv with Daichi and Suga,” 

“Oh yeah, they played it in high school the same as me,” high school volleyball was the last thing he wanted to be talking about right now. “Oh, but you knew that… you went to school with them, right?”

“Yes, I was the manager of the volleyball team that they both played in. It seems that Kei-kun may have an interest in it as well. I think a team sport like that would be great for him.” Kei looks up at his father then and holds out the drawing he’d been working on. It was a volleyball net with two figures setting and spiking a ball. Kei wants to play volleyball. Akaashi knows that there’s no use fighting it. Kei asks for so little, he can’t deny him this. He nods his head and Kei’s face lights up, he drops the paper back onto the table and writes  _ Papa  _ over the setter. He smiles up at Akaashi and it's nearly as big as Shouyou’s usually is. Akaashi thinks he might cry, instead, he lifts his son up onto his lap and hugs him tightly. 

“Okay Kei. We’ll find you a volleyball team you can play with,” he promises. Kei returns the hug, squeezing him tight. Akaashi is really sure that he’s going to cry.

***

Akaashi starts looking into volleyball clubs for elementary schoolers in the area. There’s more than he expected and he doesn’t know if any of them are going to be the right one. He follows his usual routine during the week but at night once he’s tucked the boys into bed he sits down at the kitchen table with his laptop and starts to study the different options. He reads all the information he can find, he reads every review, checks with all of the parent groups he’s part of. He writes up lists of pros and cons, questions, and concerns he wants to speak with the coaches about. 

Suga finds him working on it Friday night after letting himself into the apartment with a bottle of wine and two glasses. His eyes scan over the piles of paper and he lets out a long sigh. 

“You’re overthinking,” Suga tells him plainly. He puts the glasses on the table and pours way more wine into each one than is normal. Akaashi picks up a glass gratefully and takes a long drink before setting it down.

“Kei’s never asked to do anything before. He’s been drawing pictures of volleyball all week and dragging Daichi to the park every chance he gets to practice. My kid has probably spent more time with your husband than you have this week.”

“Mm, you’re not wrong. But that’s okay, Daichi is totally DILF material, and seeing him being all dad like is totally great for my libido,” Suga laughs at himself and plops into a chair as he takes a drink of wine.

“Please do not get horny for your husband around my children,” Akaashi sighs.

“You stop being horny for my husband around your children,” Suga tosses back. Akaashi scoffs at that and takes another sip of his wine.

“Tell your husband to stop being such a DILF then, obviously”

“Neither one of us is going to win. Daichi is just too much for anyone to resist. He’s got men and women swooning for him left and right.” 

“Like you’re any better. I don’t think there’s a single teacher in that school that isn’t in love with you, probably most of the parents too. You’ve got them all tricked by your wolf in sheep's clothing act.” Akaashi lets his eyes drift back to his research, he knows Suga is right, he’s overthinking this whole thing.

“Fuck you Akaashi. I’m an angel and everyone knows it.” Suga grabs the wine bottle and refills his glass. Akaashi wonders when he’d even emptied it. 

“Fallen angel more like it. If you’re so perfect then solve this damn thing for me. Find the perfect volleyball club for Kei. One I can sit in on. I want… I want to be there for him. I feel like we don’t get enough time, just the two of us.” 

“What happened to your whole boycott volleyball thing?” Suga asks, he refills Akaashi’s glass too. Akaashi narrows his eyes at the dark liquid, he really shouldn’t drink before bed but Suga is always a terrible influence who is great at picking out wine.

“It makes Kei happy… He’s smiling more now. I just… what if he goes to this club and he’s so excited that he starts talking while he’s there? While I’m not there to hear him? Or if he has one of his panic attacks or… or… I don’t know if he just needs me. I can’t let my kid down just because I can’t handle the memories.” 

“High school was a long time ago Akaashi,” Suga says softly. Akaashi nods his head just a bit. “Well, at least I can take one stressful thing off your shoulders. I’ve already found you a volleyball club and you and Kei can give it a try for free.”

“Wait really? How?” Akaashi looks at his friend dubiously. He trusts Suga, but he doesn’t always trust his judgment.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Suga waves his hand in front of Akaashi’s face. “Daichi’s partner Iwaizumi runs a volleyball club with some pro volleyball friends of his because apparently, he has those. They meet twice a week at the community gym and they have a small-sized elementary group so it won’t be too overwhelming for little Kei-kun.” 

“Why am I just now hearing about this? Who is Iwaizumi? What happened to Daichi’s old partner?” 

“Omg slow down. We both know this is not the first bottle of wine I’ve opened tonight,” Suga takes a deep sip anyway. “That chick Daichi was partnered with tried to get handsy with my man so he told her he was married and then she transferred to another department. Iwaizumi is this scary faced guy that Daichi knew in high school. His face is always pissed off but he’s actually a good guy. Totally gay but also totally in love with his childhood BFF so he’s not a threat.” 

“He runs it with pro volleyball players?” Akaashi asks, his stomach twists and he regrets drinking.

“Yeah, I’m not sure who though. Some guys he played with in high school.” Suga shrugs. Akaashi doesn’t recognize the name Iwaizumi at all, so odds are their paths had never crossed in school. Which means that even if they are pro players they shouldn’t be anyone that Akaashi knew. 

“Well if he’s got the Suga seal of approval…” 

“He does. Kei has resting bitch face so he and Mr angry face will get along great,” Suga nods his head and Akaashi shoots a glare at him.

“My baby does not have a resting bitch face, he’s perfect.” 

“Sure now maybe, but he’s totally gonna grow into it. Just wait. My predictions are never wrong.”

“Yeah well you suck,” Akaashi says weakly. Suga laughs so hard that he snorts, and it sets off Akaashi’s own laughter. They both cover their mouths trying to stifle the sound but they weren’t quick enough because the sound of Shouyou crying starts up. Akaashi flips off Suga as he gets up and goes to settle his little baby back into bed. 

He sits on the floor beside Shouyou’s bed and reads a book about a sentient meat bun to him. He can hear the sound of Suga cleaning up in the dining room. He mulls over the idea about this volleyball club as he reads the words he knows almost by heart. It could be exactly what they want. He’ll take Kei to one lesson and if he likes it then he likes it and if not Akaashi can find him another club with fewer chances of running into any professional volleyball players. 


	4. Chapter 4

Akaashi dreams of late-night practices, the squeak of tennis shoes on wood floors, the slap of a hand hitting the ball, a spike that shines so bright it’s nearly blinding, a dark storage room, chapped lips, and clumsy calloused hands sliding along bare skin. Wide gold eyes staring with something close to awe, something like love. Fingers tangling in gel slicked hair. 

He wakes up with a name on his lips and tiny toddler fingers jabbing into his rib. Akaashi lets out a frustrated sound and then pulls the little orange troublemaker into a hug. He rolls onto his side and nuzzles his head against the squirming toddler's curls.

“It’s too early Shou,” He mumbles, his voice still thick with sleep. It's the weekend. No one needs to be awake this early. 

“Papa! Papa up!” Shouyou yells as he wiggles free of his father's hold. “Papa up! Pancakes papa!” He stands on the bed and hops around. Akaashi knows that it's only a matter of time before the three-year-old falls so he makes himself roll out of the bed and scoops his son up into his arms. He presses kisses to chubby cheeks as he walks to the kitchen and Shouyou squeals with laughter as he tries to push Akaashi’s face away.

Kei is already awake. Sitting on the living room couch with his tablet on his lap and headphones in. Akaashi knows that if he looks at the screen he’ll see a video about volleyball. Kei has asked him to watch a few of the videos with him but when he switched from instructional videos to game highlights Akaashi had to stop. He didn’t want to risk it. He sets Shouyou down on a cushion on the floor then makes his way to the kitchen to start making pancakes. It's a Saturday morning tradition. 

Shouyou turns the tv on and flips channels until he finds a cartoon he likes. Akaashi keeps an eye on them while he cooks. Kei is always up pretty early in the morning but it takes a few hours for him to come alive and he can be a bit touchy until then. Especially when it comes to Shouyou. 

Just like Akaashi expected it doesn’t take long for Shouyou to grow bored of watching the tv. The tiny little redhead rolls around on the floor a bit before jumping to his feet and making his way towards the couch. He hops up to hang off the arm of the couch and looks over his brother's shoulder at the tablet screen. Akaashi is about to go intervene when Kei slides his headphones off and unplugs them. He watches in surprise as Kei tilts the tablet to let his brother see better. Both the boys stare at the screen transfixed by the game, Shouyou’s feet swing slightly as he dangles off the armrest but other than that they both sit perfectly still. 

Akaashi is so surprised by the moment that he doesn’t notice the pancakes in the pan burning until it's too late. He tosses out the ruined cakes and pours some more batter into the pan as he blinks back tears. Being a parent has made him way too emotional. 

“Papa!” Shouyou yells. There’s a soft thud as he slides off the arm and then he’s bouncing up and down. “Papa we go to park! Kei is gonna teach me ball!” 

“Slow down Shouyou. We’re gonna have breakfast first and then we can all go to the park okay?” Akaashi offers. Shouyou’s cheeks puff out and he looks ready to argue but Kei nods his head and he starts another video on the tablet. 

“Hey hey hey!” a loud voice calls from the tablet speakers. Shouyou forgets about the park and climbs back up onto the arm of the couch to watch. Akaashi glares at the pancakes and tries to remember how to breathe. 

\---

They eat breakfast quickly once it’s ready. Both boys are more excited about going to the park to play volleyball than they are about the food itself. Akaashi doesn’t mind too much. He’s never actually seen them both get along about something before this and he’s not going to do anything that might ruin the peace. 

There’s a flurry of activity in the apartment as they all get ready to go out. Kei gets himself changed into shorts and a t-shirt but then he can’t find his tennis shoes and he scrambles about the apartment looking for them. Akaashi has to wrestle with Shouyou to get all of the syrup cleaned off his hands and face before he could get him dressed and then Akaashi realizes that he’s gotten behind on laundry again so Shouyou has to wear a t-shirt and a pair of overalls with grass stains on them. All he has left for himself to wear was sweat pants and a long sleeve shirt that was too big and probably belonged to Daichi. He’d have to remember to do a few loads of laundry tomorrow. 

Kei’s sneakers turn out to be at the Sawamura’s apartment, so Kei runs next door in just his socks to get them and by the time he’s back Akaashi has gotten Shouyou into his own shoes with just a little bit of fuss. He packs Kei’s new volleyball, some water bottles and some food into a bag, and then they’re finally ready to go. Except that Shouyou needs to use the bathroom so Akaashi has to help him take his shoes back off and bring him to the restroom to help him get back out of his overalls. 

It’s afternoon by the time they actually make it to the park. Shouyou is practically vibrating with excitement as Akaashi sets him down next to the playground. He talks animatedly about one of the volleyball videos Kei had shown him, waving his arms and making up sound effects to describe the different actions. Akaashi nods along as he puts down their bag and takes the ball out. 

Holding a volleyball again fills him with a weird sense of longing. He’s pretended for so long that he didn’t want it. He wants to play a game, wants the satisfaction of a ball he set being slammed into the opposite court. His fingers ache to set the ball. Instead, he tosses it gently to Kei and kneels down to teach both boys how to pass the ball back and forth. 

Kei has been practicing at school and with Daichi so other than a few reminders of how to place his feet and to keep his forearms together he doesn’t need too much help. He bounces the ball by himself a few times as Akaashi tries to get Shouyou to stand the right way. The toddler is a bit too energetic though and he doesn’t want to stand in one place.

“I wanna hit like the video!” he cheers as he hops over to his brother. His wide brown eyes are completely focused on the ball. In the sunlight, both of the boys' eyes look golden, just like their mothers had.

“Alright, but first you need to learn how to jump. So let’s give Kei some time to practice with the ball and I’ll show you how to jump the right way.” Akaashi offers. Shouyou tilts his head, his orange curls bouncing as he moves.

“I can jump super high papa!” He bounces up and down in place to demonstrate. Akaashi nods.

“Yes but you need to learn how to jump like a volleyball player if you want to be able to hit the spikes like in the videos,”

“What’s spike?” 

“That’s when the person jumps up into the air and hits the ball over the net. Do you want me to show you?” 

“Whoa! You can jump like a volleyball player papa?” 

“Mmm yeah I used to play volleyball when I was a kid,” He looks around the park and then takes the ball from Kei and leads both of them closer to the fence. “Kei do you think you can throw the ball up high?” Kei nods his head, his eyes are wide with excitement. 

“Go ahead and toss it when you’re ready then,” He should probably stretch out a bit first, it’s been years since he’s done anything more than just jog as exercise. Kei tosses the ball up in a high arch. Akaashi watches it then takes a few steps forward and jumps, his hand hits the ball with a satisfying smack and then hits the fence and bounces away. Shouyou cheers excitedly and then runs after the ball. 

“Again Papa! Again!” he yells, stumbling over his own feet. Akaashi stares at his stinging hand. It felt good. He wants to play a real game again. Wants to rebuild the callouses that used to cover his hand. He clenches his fist and shakes away the memories that threaten to take over his mind. He focuses on his boys, on teaching them how to play. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bokuto's running late. I swear he's in this fic somewhere.


	5. Chapter 5

“You may have gone a little overboard,” Suga says gently. He and Daichi are sitting at the table in Akaashi’s apartment looking at the items spread out. Tomorrow Kei would attend Iwaizumi’s volleyball club for the first time and Akaashi had wanted to make sure they were prepared. He’d stopped at the store and purchased new gym shorts and a few athletic shirts for the rapidly growing boy. He’d also ordered him new sports glasses so that he didn’t have to worry about breaking them and he’d gotten him a pair of proper volleyball shoes as well. 

“I didn’t go overboard. His glasses could easily get broken during a game and this way I don’t have to worry about that. Plus he’d need the other stuff eventually. This way he’s prepared,” Akaashi grabs a duffel bag and packs everything that Kei will need for tomorrow. He’ll be picking Kei up directly after school and taking him to the gymnasium. He’ll have to come straight from his office and he considers bringing a change of clothes for himself but decides against it. He’s only going to be there to observe, not to play. 

“He’s got a point. It’d suck if his glasses got broken in the middle of a practice and the volleyball shoes will make it easier for him to play,” Daichi picks up the sports glasses and squints his eyes as he looks through the lens. 

“Yeah, but he’ll outgrow the shoes in like two months,” Suga points out. 

“Shouyou is really into volleyball now too. He can use the shoes when he’s older,” Akaashi shrugs. He knows Kei will grow out of these things but it will help him have more fun. 

“Shou will be in middle school before he fits any of Kei’s hand me downs,” Suga gets up and goes to the fridge grabbing three more beers and bringing them back to the table. Akaashi finishes the one he already had then takes the new one. 

“Well, I’ll just hold on to these things until he does fit them,” Akaashi zips up the bag and sets it down next to the kids backpacks by the door. Suga does really have a point, Kei’s always been the tallest in his class and he’s growing constantly. Shouyou on the other hand has always been the smallest, Akaashi wonders if it's genetic or if it's because he was born early. He had been sick a lot as an infant. 

“I know you’re probably worried about something,” Daichi says as he sips his beer. “So knock it off. Iwaizumi’s a good guy and I’ve talked about the kids so often at work that half the precinct probably thinks they’re mine.” 

“Oh but your last partner still didn’t know you were married huh,” Suga nudges Daichi with his elbow. 

“I don’t know how. I wear my ring and there are pictures of all of you all over my desk,” Daichi shrugs and rests one arm on the back of Suga’s chair. The silver-haired man hums and leans into his husband. Akaashi takes his phone out and checks his email, Suga always gets really touchy with Daichi when he’s been drinking and it makes Akaashi remember that he’s painfully single. 

“When was the last time you went on a date?” Suga asks. Akaashi narrows his eyes at him.

“Get out of my head,” 

“Make me,” he sticks out his tongue. Akaashi flicks a bottle cap at him. 

“I’m a widower with two kids. I’m not exactly a catch,”

“I’d date you,” Daichi says.

“You’re not helping,” Akaashi crosses his arms. “I can’t date you because you’re a perfect asshole who found love in high school.” 

“I staked my claim early. I knew how cute he was from the beginning even when he was a total awkward 1st year.” 

“Aw Koshi,” 

“You two need to go home before you start making out in my kitchen again,” 

“I can’t help it if I’m irresistible,” Suga stands up and pulls Daichi to his feet. “Get some sleep for once Keiji or I’ll come back and make you.” 

“Yeah yeah, goodnight you guys.”

“Nighty night,” Suga sings as he pulls Daichi out of the apartment. Akaashi picks at the label on his beer bottle and sighs. He hasn’t been with anyone since Runa and before her, it had just been, well nothing since high school. He lets his head drop onto the table and groans. He needs to stop drinking with Suga. 

Akaashi knows he needs to stop thinking about the past. It doesn’t really matter if he’s lonely or not. He’s got the boys now and they’re his priority. He takes a few deep breaths and then stands up and cleans up the mess they’d made of the dining room before going to crash into his bed. 

\--

Iwaizumi Hajime is not at all what Akaashi had been expecting, except for the scowl that seems to be permanently etched onto his face. He’s got tan skin and well defined muscles under his simple work out clothes. Akaashi thinks that he’d probably be his type if he smiled a little more, though he does remember Suga mentioning something about Iwaizumi already having a boyfriend or something. 

The kids seem to like him though, or at least they respect him. There are twelve kids in the club and it seems that most of them have been attending for a while. Akaashi had been worried that Kei would feel a little left out. He’d been nervous when they first arrived and stuck close to Akaashi, but a boy with a mess of black hair had approached them and demanded Kei’s name. Akaashi had told him his name and explained that Kei didn’t speak, it didn't phase the boy at all. He’d just nodded his head and then grabbed Kei’s hand and pulled him to the group to introduce him to the other kids, not giving Kei a chance to be shy.

It seemed to be going well but Akaashi really should have done more research about the club before he’d come. He had thought that because he didn’t recognize Iwaizumi then he didn’t have to worry about the other coaches. He hadn’t been expecting to see Ushijima Wakatoshi at all. The giant of a man seemed to be more focused on the kids than anything else and he hadn’t even glanced at the bleachers yet. Akaashi hoped that he wouldn’t be recognized, he hadn’t seen Ushijima in person since his second year of high school and he doubted that the super ace would even remember a plain person like him. 

Akaashi lets himself relax a bit then. He’s sure he’s safe from recognition so he focuses his attention on Kei and watches as his son works with his new teammates. The black-haired boy sticks close to him and seems to be helping him navigate the parts of the practice that he doesn’t understand. Kei’s eyes are bright and he’s smiling a lot. Iwaizumi splits the kids into two different teams and he gives them each their positions to play. Kei rocks on his feet a bit and then raises his hand. Akaashi sits up straighter and stares at him. 

“What is it Kei-Kun?” Ushijima bends down beside him and Akaashi curses his luck. Kei takes Ushijima’s hand and leads him over to where his father sits. Akaashi keeps his eyes on Kei, he wants to disappear but this is why he stayed for the practice. Kei needs him to translate. 

“ _ Papa I don’t know what a middle blocker is.”  _ Kei signs. 

“Ah, he’s only practiced receiving and spiking really…” Akaashi explains. “He doesn’t know what a middle blocker is supposed to do. We haven’t practiced anywhere with a net before…” Akaashi chances a glance up at Ushijima and he finds the man looking at him with a strange expression. 

“He signs, does he need to be able to read lips then?” Ushijima asks. Akaashi shakes his head. 

“No, he can hear.” he grabs Kei’s towel and wipes some sweat off of the boy's face. Kei furrows his eyebrows and then looks up at Ushijima again. 

“ _ What do I do?” _ He signs. 

“He wants to know what he should do,” Akaashi folds the towel back up carefully. He doesn’t dare look up at Ushijima again.

“You and Tetsuro-kun are getting along well aren’t you Kei-Kun?” Ushijima asks. Kei looks over at the messy-haired boy and nods a bit unsurely. “Tetsuro-kun likes to play middle blocker. He will help you learn how to do it.”

Kei nods his head again and then runs back to the group of kids. Akaashi can feel Ushijima’s eyes on him once again but he refuses to react. He keeps his face blank and focuses on watching Kei until Ushijima walks away. He lets out a breath then and slumps down a bit. He’d forgotten how intimidating Ushijima was up close. He’s surprised that Kei hadn’t been more afraid of him.

The practice goes on, Kei sticks by the kid Ushijima had called Tetsuro for most of the night, not that the other boy seems to mind. A few times Kei has to bring someone over to Akaashi so he can ask or answer a question. He seems to pick Iwaizumi more often than he does Ushijima and Akaashi is grateful.

The small blonde boy is exhausted by the end of the practice. He falls onto Akaashi’s lap and quickly signs  _ “legs''  _ before dropping his head onto his father's shoulders. Akaashi laughs a bit and wraps him in a hug, pressing a quick kiss to his damp curls. 

“Daichi should be here soon to pick us up,” He feels bad as he urges Kei back up onto his feet and stands himself. Kei’s just gotten too tall for Akaashi to be able to carry him easily. He makes sure everything is packed back into his bag and then puts his arm around his son’s shoulders and leads him outside to where they can see when Daichi pulls up. Kei leans against him while they wait. 

“Akaashi-san,” Ushijima’s voice comes from behind them. Akaashi considers ignoring him, pretending it's not his name. But Kei reacts to it, he stands up straighter and looks back at Ushijima, so Akaashi turns too. 

“Ushijima-san?” 

“You are Akaashi Keiji, from Fukurodani academy correct?” 

“Yes… I attended Fukurodani,” Akaashi looks down at Kei and runs his fingers through his blonde curls.

“I did not expect to see you here. I was not aware you had a child,” Ushijima has that strange look on his face again.

“I have two children. Kei is my eldest,” Kei leans against his father again and wraps his arms around his waist.

“You must have been young when he was born.” 

“Yes… I was nineteen.…” Akaashi keeps his eyes focused on Kei, Ushijima never had any reason to be interested in Akaashi before. He doesn’t know why he would be interested now, unless… No Akaashi won’t think about it. 

“You’re wearing a wedding ring. You have a wife then?” Akaashi is pretty sure that Ushijima was never this observant.

“I did but not anymore,” He doesn’t want to talk about it in front of Kei. He still wears his ring so that the boys don’t think he’s forgotten their mom. 

“Akaashi! Kei!” Daichi’s voice calls out as he gets out of his car and walks over to them. Akaashi is eternally grateful for the cop. When he stops beside them Kei releases his hold on Akaashi and holds his arms out to Daichi who picks him up without any trouble at all. Akaashi wonders if maybe he should start going to the gym with Daichi. He wants to be able to carry his son too. Kei wraps his arms and legs around Daichi and rests his head on his shoulder, already starting to doze.

“Ah looks like someone is worn out,” Daichi laughs and rubs Kei’s back. He looks at Ushijima then and blinks in surprise. “Ushijima-san?”

“You’re Sawamura from Karasuno,” Ushijima looks between the two of them. Akaashi thinks he might have been looking at Daichi’s wedding ring as well. 

“That’s right… You’re both from Miyagi,” Akaashi remembers now. Maybe Daichi’s appearance will distract Ushijima enough to get him to stop questioning Akaashi.

“Yeah this guy kept my team from ever going to nationals,” Daichi’s voice is still cheerful but his eyes are glaring. He’s clearly still bitter about it. “Well we better get going, Akaashi. Shouyou is in the car and he’s probably getting antsy.” 

“Right, see you next time Ushijima-san,” Akaashi adjusts Kei’s bag on his shoulder and walks to the car with Daichi. Suga is sitting in the backseat already, playing with Shouyou in his car seat so Akaashi takes the passenger seat while Daichi puts Kei in the back and buckles him up. Kei curls into Suga’s side right away and falls asleep.

“Aaaww little baby,” Suga coos. Daichi gets in the car and buckles his seatbelt as well. 

“Did you see who Akaashi was just talking to?” He asks.

“Hmm, who was it?” Suga looks out the window. “Ah! It's Ushiwaka! That bastard…” 

“Language,” Akaashi and Daichi say at the same time. Shouyou stares at Suga with wide eyes. 

“Sorry, ugh he’s so annoying though. Dai you should have told me he was running this thing with Iwaizumi.” 

“I didn’t know it was Ushijima. Iwaizumi just said he had some friends that were pro players. I should have asked.” 

“Ugh, we need to teach Kei how to serve really good so he can send one straight to Ushiwaka’s face.”

“Please don’t encourage violence to my children… Even if he is annoying.” 

“You know him too, Akaashi?” Suga leans forward a bit. Akaashi doesn’t want to answer.

“My team used to lose to him…” 

“You did? Fukurodani had a pretty good team though. Your ace was one of the top five in the country wasn’t he?” Daichi asks. 

“Ushijima was in the top three…” Akaashi stares out his window. He can hear Suga and Daichi continue talking with occasional input for Shouyou but he tunes it out. He’s had enough thinking about high school for one day. 

\---

Akaashi dreams about Volleyball again that night. He’s standing on the center court but everything around them is dark, shadows fill the stands. There’s a light in front of him, a bright golden light surrounding a figure. The figure stands with his back to Akaashi, the black number four on his back standing out against the brightness. Akaashi knows that figure, he’d recognize it anywhere. The ball goes up and the figure is running forward. He’s calling for the ball. Akaashi needs to get it to him. He tries to move forward but there’s an incredible pressure on his back, pushing him down, down onto the ground. The figure is still moving forward. Hands come out of the shadows. They grab onto Akaashi, tearing at his skin and clothes, pulling him down. 

He reaches out for the figure, calls out his name but the crowd of shadows is cheering the name as well. Louder, and louder, drowning out any hope of Akaashi’s voice being heard. He wants to grab onto the figure, to beg him to wait. But the hands are pulling harder now, Akaashi doesn’t have the energy to fight against them. He lets his hand drop to the ground. If he grabbed onto the figure then they’d just be dragged into the shadows together. He knows that the light would go out. He can’t let that happen. He needs to let the figure go. He needs to let him continue to shine. 

Akaashi watches the light shining brighter and brighter as his own world fades to black.


	6. Chapter 6

“Akaashi-san?” Akaashi blinks at the sound of his name, he realizes that he’s been totally zoned out. He’s sitting in his office with Tenma Udai. They were supposed to be having a meeting about his upcoming special chapter.

“I’m sorry Udai-sensei. I’m a bit out of sorts today,” He admits. He’s exhausted actually. He’s barely slept since Tuesday, a week ago. He’d been having all sorts of weird dreams and then Shouyou had gotten a fever and Akaashi had been too worried to sleep. He didn’t want to have to take Shouyou back to the hospital again. 

“Mm, it’s okay. How are the kids?” Udai was the first artist that Akaashi had been assigned when he took this position. He’d seen how bad things got while Akaashi adjusted to being a single parent. Akaashi had often had to bring the kids to work with him then and Udai was always happy to see them. 

“They’re good. Kei has joined a volleyball club that he really likes. Shouyou’s been sick recently though so we had to miss his practice on Thursday,” Akaashi looks at the notes he’s taken so far and sees that the page is mostly blank. He can’t believe he let himself zone out so much again. 

“Aww, poor Shouyou. You should bring them with you when you come to my place.” 

“So you can fill them full of sugar again?”

“Yes exactly… anyway did you hear what I’d asked?”

“No sorry…”

“It’s all good. Actually, I was wondering if you could get me another interview with that volleyball player. The one we met last time.” Akaashi freezes. He doesn’t remember interviewing a volleyball player. 

“Um… sorry when was that? I don’t really remember who…” He’s got a bad feeling about this.

“You don’t remember? Ah that was back at the beginning. You were in a total zombie mode then. But I thought you’d remember. You seemed close to him. You’d said you were teammates back in high school. Do you remember when we went to that game in Miyagi?” 

Akaashi closes his eyes and he tries to remember. It’s there when he really thinks about it. He remembers the trip, he didn’t want to go because he didn’t want to be that far from the boys but Daichi and Suga had insisted that they could handle it, that Akaashi should spend the night in Sendai and enjoy himself for once. They’d recommended a restaurant for him to try. Akaashi had been so exhausted that he didn’t even really register what the trip would really mean. 

He opens his eyes again and turns to his computer screen. He’s saved all his old emails and he knows that any interview requests should still be saved. He scrolls through to the beginning and there it is. The first interview he’d ever requested for this job. Sent to the one person Akaashi didn’t want to think about. How could he have forgotten about that? About seeing him again. Of sitting in a room with him, talking to him like nothing had happened between them. 

“Oh… I see it here. I’m afraid that I’ve lost touch with him… We don’t speak anymore. But um… one of Kei’s coaches is Ushijima Wakatoshi. Maybe I can ask him for an interview…” It would be annoying to have to talk to Ushijima again but it would be better than trying to reach out to him. 

“Ushijima? Isn’t that the one they call the canon?” Udai asks. He spins the chair he’s sitting in around.

“Yes, that’s the one.” 

“He’s huge… doesn’t he scare the kids? I’d be scared around him.” Akaashi laughs at that.

“He’s definitely intimidating. But the kids seem okay with him. Kei’s not scared of him at least. I guess I didn’t pay as much attention to the others.” 

“That makes sense I guess. But yeah if you think he’ll agree to an interview that’d be great. I want to get it done as soon as possible so I don’t fall behind.” 

“I’ll ask Ushijima-san about it at practice tonight,” He makes a note to remind himself about it. Ushijima isn’t the most talkative person but he should be able to answer a few simple questions or maybe he knows someone else who would be free. 

“Thanks, Akaashi-san, I better go get back to work.” 

“Please do,” He nods his head. Udai stands up and gathers his things, he waves as he leaves the office. Akaashi leans back in his chair and looks at his computer screen where the email still sits open. 

**To: Akaashi Keiji**

**From: Bokuto.K@**

**AKAASHI! ITS BEEN FOREVER!! Of course I can do the interview! You’ll be there right?? We’re playing a game in Miyagi next week. We can meet after that. I’ll leave two tickets for you at the box office! They’ll be in your name so you have to come okay! Let’s go get grilled gyutan afterward!**

Akaashi closes his emails and slumps forward resting his head in his hands. He remembers the game now. He remembers seeing Bokuto playing even better than he ever had. That setter, Miya Atsumu, was talented. More talented than Akaashi could have ever hoped to be. He brought out the best in Bokuto. Akaashi had been right to let him go. But Akaashi had been too exhausted to even really register what was going on on an emotional level. He was there but he wasn’t really present. He can’t remember talking with Bokuto at all. He knows though that he’d left ahead of Udai. Daichi had called during the interview because Shouyou had gotten sick. Akaashi had left in a panic without really explaining anything. He can’t believe that he’d forgotten about it until now. His first time seeing Bokuto since his high school graduation and he’d been at his worst. He must have seemed like a mess. 

He tries to put the memories out of his mind, he needs to focus on getting his work done so he can leave on time to get Kei from school. His focus is totally gone though, he keeps making simple mistakes and finally, he has to admit that he’s just not going to be productive. He packs up his work to do at home and leaves a bit early. He makes a stop at a convenience store on the way and buys a sports drink and a snack for Kei before he goes to the school to pick him up. 

\---

The start of the practice goes just as smoothly as the first one had. Iwaizumi and Ushijima are both there and the boy with the messy black hair seems just as eager to teach Kei as he had the last time. Akaashi makes himself comfortable on the bleachers and takes out some of his work to get started on it. He doesn’t want to be up all night working. Kei has been practicing more with Daichi so he doesn’t have as many questions this time around and he only comes up to Akaashi to translate a few times. 

He’s focused on his work and he doesn’t notice when the third coach arrives halfway through the practice. Iwaizumi calls the kids together to introduce him. The three coaches have their backs to the bleachers as they all speak. 

“Hey hey hey! I’m Bokuto! I play for the MSBY black jackals! Oh, I play for the Japanese team with Ushijima too!” 

Akaashi freezes as the voice breaks through his focus. He lifts his head and stares at the figure in front of him. Spiked black and white hair, broad shoulders, a faded blue t-shirt with print on the back that Akaashi could recite in his sleep. Akaashi feels sick. He can’t move. He forces himself to look away from the figure, to focus on Kei where he stands in the group of kids. Kei’s eyes are wide and his cheeks are flushed. He’s excited, he wants to say something. 

The three coaches are standing close enough that they’d be able to hear Akaashi translate. Kei sees his father watching and he starts to sign his question. Akaashi parts his lips but his mouth is too dry to speak and his chest is being squeezed, he can’t take deep enough breaths. His vision narrows, black spots appearing around the edges. Kei looks concerned and his hands stop. The third coach kneels down in front of him, he raises his hands and Akaashi can’t see but he thinks that he might be signing back at Kei. The room is spinning. Kei is signing something else now, slower than usual. He’s spelling out the words. Something he’s not familiar with the sign for maybe.

“Akaashi-san?” the voice sounds like it’s far away. Akaashi thinks that it might be Iwaizumi’s voice. He struggles to breathe, focusing on Kei’s hands. P-A-N-I-C-A-T-T, the figure turns around quickly blocking Akaashi’s view of his son. 

“Keiji,” Akaashi’s vision is flooded with gold as Bokuto drops to his knees in front of him. Calloused hands cup his cheeks. It's a familiar feeling. “Keiji you need to breathe. Follow me okay?” One of the hands slides back into Akaashi’s curls, thumb tracing gently over his cheek. His other hand lifts up one of Akaashi’s and he places it on his own chest, over his heart. Bokuto takes slow deep breaths. Akaashi can feel the rise and fall of his chest, the thudding of his heartbeat. He focuses on it, shuts everything else out, and forces himself to match his breathing. 

“That’s good Keiji. Just keep breathing with me. I’ve got you,” Bokuto’s voice is soft, caring, Akaashi wants to melt into it. He leans forward and drops his head onto a broad shoulder. Bokuto’s fingers move through his hair. “Take your time. I’m not gonna let go until you’re ready.” 

“Coach!” A young voice calls out from nearby. Bokuto’s head turns.

“We need a minute okay Tetsu?”

“Is Kei-Kun's daddy okay?” Akaashi’s regained control of his breathing. He remembers where they are, he remembers that Kei had known he was having a panic attack. He needs to get himself back under control. He curls his hand on Bokuto’s chest, gripping the fabric of his shirt. 

“Mm, he’s gonna be just fine. Which one of you is Kei-kun? Is there someone that can come take you guys home?” There's a squeak of shoes on the floor and then Akaashi feels Kei next to him, a small hand reaching into his pocket to pull out his cell phone. Akaashi knows he needs to speak up, needs to move back away from Bokuto. Needs to reassure Kei that he’s alright. 

Kei unlocks the cell phone and pulls up the contacts. Daichi and Suga are both listed there as emergency contacts. Kei presses one of the numbers and then hands the phone to Bokuto. The volume is loud enough that Akaashi can hear Daichi’s voice when he answers.

“Hey Akaashi what's up?” Daichi asks. Bokuto shifts just a bit, his free hand still stroking through Akaashi’s dark curls. 

“Ah sorry, this is Bokuto Kotaro. I’m one of Kei-Kun's coaches,” He explains. 

“Kei’s coach? Is everything okay? Where is Akaashi?” 

“He’s right here. But um, he’s having a panic attack. I think it might be best if someone can help him get home…” Akaashi doesn’t want to go home. He wants to be weak for just a bit longer, wants to stay in Bokuto’s arms. 

“Akaashi is having a panic attack? Not Kei? Shit okay, I’ll be there right away. Tell him to hang on for me.” 

“Mm, I will. He’s gotten through the worst of it I think but he should get some rest.” 

“I’m only fifteen minutes away.” 

“Okay, I’ll stay with him until you get here” 

“Thank you,” Daichi hangs up then. Akaashi can still feel Kei at his side and he reaches out his free hand to hold his hand. He doesn’t want Kei to worry about him. Bokuto slips the phone back into Akaashi’s pocket and he tries not to think about it too much. 

Fifteen minutes seems to pass much too quickly. There’s a sound of heavy footsteps jogging across the gym and then Daichi is there beside them as well.

“Akaashi are you okay?” He places his hand on Akaashi’s back and helps him to sit up. Akaashi lets go of his grip on Bokuto’s shirt and nods as he takes a deep breath.

“Daichi… yes… I just… I don’t know what happened,” He can feel himself shaking now. He didn’t feel it when Bokuto had been holding him. Bokuto stands up and takes a few steps back, Akaashi tries to stay calm. 

“It’s alright. You don’t have to apologize,” Daichi pats his back gently then kneels down in front of Kei and wipes his eyes. Akaashi hadn’t even realized he’d been crying. He feels like a shit parent. 

“Kei,” He pulls his son into his arms and presses a gentle kiss to his forehead. “I’m sorry. Papa didn’t mean to scare you.” Kei hugs him back and shakes his head. 

“Hey Sawamura,” Iwaizumi steps closer now that Daichi is there and he holds out a bottle of water. Daichi takes it and opens the lid before handing it to Akaashi. He takes a few small sips of it. 

“Thanks, Iwaizumi.”

“No problem… You know if Kei wants to stay for the rest of practice I can bring him home afterward,” Iwaizumi offers. Akaashi is a little nervous about the idea, he’s never a fan of leaving the kids with people he doesn’t know but Iwaizumi is Daichi’s partner and he’s mad at himself for ruining Kei’s chance to play volleyball again. 

“Akaashi are you okay with that?” Daichi asks. Akaashi hesitates a bit but then nods before drinking some more water. 

“If Kei wants to…” he says softly. He’s exhausted now. His bones feel like jello and he just wants to sleep really. Kei is nodding his head a bunch.

“Alright then, thanks for that Iwaizumi. You remember where my apartment is?” Daichi asks. 

“Yeah, I’ve still got your address in my phone. I’ll drop him off there, after practice.” Iwaizumi blows his whistle then and moves away to help Ushijima get the kids back under control. Kei trails along behind him. Daichi helps Akaashi to his feet and puts an arm around him to support his weight. 

“Get home safe okay Akaashi?” Bokuto says, his voice sounds strange though. He’s packed up Akaashi’s work and holds out the briefcase. Daichi takes it. 

“Thanks for calling me. I’ll make sure he gets some rest,” Daichi flashes a smile and then he leads Akaashi out of the gym to where his car is parked.


	7. Chapter 7

Akaashi falls asleep as soon as Daichi gets him back to his apartment. He doesn’t hear Daichi get Shouyou back from the neighbors, or when Suga gets back from school. For the first time in a few days, he sleeps soundly without dreaming. 

He wakes up in the early hours of the morning and realizes that both Shouyou and Kei are asleep in his bed. Quietly he gets up and slips out of the room to head to the kitchen. Now that he’s slept off his exhaustion he’s starving. There are leftovers in the fridge from the dinner that Daichi must have cooked. Akaashi peeks in the containers to see what they are before sticking them in the microwave.

“Akaashi?” Suga’s voice comes from the couch, thick with sleep. 

“Oh, Suga sorry… I didn’t realize you were here.” 

“S’okay. We were just worried. You slept like a rock.” Suga sits up and runs his hand through his hair as he yawns. 

“I haven’t been sleeping well lately… I guess it all just hit me.” he takes the bowl from the microwave and finds a pair of chopsticks then goes to the living room and drops onto the couch. He tucks his feet underneath him and eats a few bites of food. 

“Daichi said that someone named Bokuto called him from your phone,” Suga wraps himself in the blanket he’d been using and leans back against the arm of the couch watching Akaashi closely.

“Yes… He’s one of the coaches,” Akaashi pushes some food around in the bowl. 

“It’s that Bokuto isn’t it. The one that broke your heart?” 

“I… I broke my own heart Suga. He’s a star. He’s an amazing player and I was only holding him back. I had to let him go,” He eats a piece of chicken and wonders how he can change the subject.

“But now he’s gonna be around you again. Can you handle that? Kei was excited when he came home today. He said the new coach could understand sign language. He could probably manage at the practices without you.”

“I… It was supposed to be something for us to do together. I want him to see that I’m just as dedicated to him as I am to Shouyou.” 

“Akaashi, he knows that you love him. You guys could find something else you can do together.” 

“If I stop going now then B… Then he’ll know that it’s because of him. Kei likes that club. I’m not going to ruin it for him.” He puts the bowl down on the coffee table and folds his hands on his lap, trying not to fidget with them. 

“Akaashi,” Suga’s voice is firm. Akaashi groans and buries his head in his hands.

“I know Suga… I know… I just… He didn’t even hesitate. Kei told him I was having a panic attack and then he was right there. Like no time had passed. Like we were back in high school again. It felt… it felt good.” Akaashi shakes his head and sits up once again. He stares down at his hands and remembers the feel of Bokuto’s heart beating against his palm. “I’ll be okay. It was just a shock. Now I know and I won’t freak out again,” 

“Do you want me to come with you on Thursday?” 

“No, I can handle it… It's a bigger help for you and Daichi to take Shouyou.” Akaashi doesn’t want to show any more weakness. Bokuto is a part of his past and he isn’t going to let it stop him from being there for his son.

\---

Akaashi can’t handle it. Thursday comes too quickly and Akaashi is freaking out a little bit as he picks Kei up and heads to the gym with him. He keeps his face neutral and tries not to fidget too much. Kei seems excited about practice, he’s bouncing as they walk, hanging off of Akaashi’s arm. 

When they get into the gym Akaashi gives Kei his gym clothes then goes to find himself a spot on the bleachers. He’s brought more work with him again, and he needs to remember to ask Ushijima if he’d have time for the interview before the end of the weekend now since he forgot about it on Tuesday. He takes out his paperwork and is looking over it when he notices someone is standing in front of him. He looks up and is surprised to see the boy with the messy hair in front of him.

“Kei-Kun's dad,” The boy says, Akaashi thinks his name was Tetsu. 

“Yes?” He puts his paperwork down on the bench next to him. 

“Are you better now?” He taps the toes of one foot on the ground.

“Yes, I’m doing fine today. Thank you. You’re Tetsu-kun right?”

“Yeah! I’m Kuroo Tetsuro, but everyone just calls me Tetsu. Does Kei-kun ever talk?” This kid is really confident and Akaashi is almost impressed. Even Shouyou tends to be a bit shyer when he’s meeting a new adult. 

“Kei uses sign language to talk,” Akaashi explains. Tetsu nods his head a bit.

“He can hear people talk right?”

“Yes, he can,” 

“I’m learning sign language so me and him can play together,” Tetsu puts his hands on his hips as he makes his declaration. Akaashi covers his mouth as he laughs softly.

“I am sure that Kei will be excited about that,” He smiles at the boy. Tetsu’s face lights up and he turns abruptly and runs across the gym.

“Uncle Ko! Kei-Kun's dad said we could have a playdate!” He yells. Akaashi’s heart stops. He watches as Tetsu throws himself into Bokuto. Akaashi realizes how big of an idiot he is. He should have known when Tetsu introduced himself. Akaashi had been there when Bokuto’s sister got married. 

Bokuto catches his nephew easily and he looks across the gym, gold eyes wide with surprise. Akaashi forces himself to give a small polite smile and then picks up his paperwork again and focuses on it. He’s got to keep the peace for Kei. If he wants to be friends with Tetsu then Akaashi isn’t going to be the one to stop him. 

Iwaizumi blows his whistle once everyone has arrived and he starts the practice with Bokuto. Ushijima hasn’t shown up yet and Akaashi wonders if he’ll be absent. Udai really needs to get his research done before the weekend is over and Akaashi thinks that he may have to ask Bokuto after all but he doesn’t know if he can bring himself to do that. 

“Akaashi?” Bokuto’s voice sounds hesitant and very well un-Bokuto like. Akaashi looks up from his paperwork. Bokuto stands in front of him, his hands behind his back, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

“Yes, Bokuto-san?” Akaashi wonders if anyone else can hear how hard his heart is beating. 

“The kids were wondering if… if we could show them a quick attack. But it’s just me and Iwaizumi right now so… well,” He pauses and clears his throat. “Can you set for us? For… for me? Iwaizumi will receive so…” Akaashi blinks a few times. Bokuto wants him to set for him again. 

“I… It’s been a long time. I’m not sure I’d be good at it anymore,” his hands are shaking at just the thought of it. 

“No! I’m sure you’re still good Akaashi. Your sets are the best!” there it is. Bokuto’s cheerful enthusiasm. They both know that Akaashi can never resist it.

“I’m not dressed for it Bokuto-san,” he needs to at least try. 

“Just one set. Please Akaashi?” His golden eyes are wide and hopeful and Akaashi hates himself for being so weak. With a sigh, he stands up and takes off his suit jacket. He folds it neatly and sets it on the bleachers then slips his tie off as well.

“One set Bokuto-san,” it’s never just one. Bokuto cheers loudly and jumps up and down waving his arms.

“He said yes!” He announces to the group of kids. Akaashi glances at Kei and sees the excitement on his son's face as well. There’s really no getting out of it. He untucks his shirt and rolls up his sleeves as he moves onto the court. The kids all gather on the side and Iwaizumi takes his place on the opposite side of the net. 

Akaashi stands in position and takes a couple of deep breaths. He knows how to do it, he’s wanted to do it since he picked up a volleyball again. Bokuto stands at the back of the court with a ball in his hands watching Akaashi eagerly. He nods a bit and Bokuto tosses the ball up. Akaashi follows it with his eyes. He can sense where Bokuto is, knows where he needs to put the ball to make it easier on the hitter. The ball touches his fingertips and he sets it just like he used to, the kind of set that Bokuto always liked best. 

Bokuto jumps, he yells out something as he swings his arm and hits the ball perfectly. There’s more power in his swing now than there's ever been before. Iwaizumi is able to receive it but he stumbles back under the force of it and the ball shoots up into the rafters. 

“Hey hey hey!” Bokuto pumps his fists in the air with a wide grin on his face. Akaashi stares at him for a moment then looks down at his hands. It felt good. It felt really good. 

“One more?” He asks. “Let me set once more.” 

“Akaashi…” Bokuto smiles so wide that it seems like it must hurt his face. “One more time! Coach Iwaizumi needs to show them how to receive properly. No falling down Iwa!” 

“Then don’t try and rip my arms off this time,” Iwaizumi tosses another ball to Bokuto then gets back into position. 

“Ready Akaashi?” Bokuto spins the ball in his hands as he backs up once again. Akaashi nods, eyes narrowed with determination. Bokuto grins and tosses the ball once again. 

Akaashi ends up helping to teach the rest of the practice. He shows the kids how to set and helps with blocking and serving practices as well. By the end, he’s worked up a sweat and he’s wishing he’d had something to wear besides his suit. His feet are killing him in his dress shoes. He’ll need to soak them when he gets home. He plops down onto the bleachers and stretches his legs out in front of him while he waits for Kei to get changed with the other kids. 

“Water?” Bokuto sits down next to him and holds out a water bottle. Akaashi takes it gratefully and takes a long drink. He can feel Bokuto’s eyes on him. 

“Thank you Bokuto-san.” 

“No thank you Akaashi. You helped us out today.” 

“I’m gonna regret it tomorrow. I’m too old for this.” 

“What? You’re younger than me Akaashi!” Bokuto argues. Akaashi laughs. 

“I’m a parent. That ages me like ten years at least.” He finishes the water and sets the bottle down on the bench between them. 

“Oh right… you um… How old is Kei-kun?” Bokuto looks down at the ground. 

“He’s six… He was born while I was still in college.”

“So you’re… married?” He asks, pointing at Akaashi’s hand. Akaashi twists his fingers. 

“No… not anymore,” Bokuto looks like he wants to say more but Kei and Tetsu run up to them then. Tetsu jumps onto his uncle, knocking him backward.

“Uncle Ko! Let’s go get ice cream with Kei and his daddy!” Tetsu yells. Kei leans into Akaashi’s side and stares up at him with wide eyes. 

“Ice cream?” Akaashi asks. “I don’t know… us old people are pretty tired. Papa’s feet hurt a lot.” Kei tugs on his shirt. 

“I could probably eat ice cream,” Bokuto says. His voice is softer. Akaashi glances at him then looks back down at Kei. 

“Maybe… maybe another time. We need to get home to Shouyou…” he runs his fingers through Kei’s hair. “It’s a school night as well…” Kei pouts up at him. 

“Oh sure. Next time then.”

“Yeah… Next time.” Akaashi sighs and then stands up. He picks his things up and makes sure that Kei has everything. He waves a bit at Bokuto and Tetsu as he leads Kei outside to the parking lot to wait.

“Kei-Kun's dad!” Tetsu yells. Akaashi looks back to see that Tetsu and Bokuto have both followed them outside. 

“Yes, Tetsu-kun?” 

“Can Kei-kun play on a day when it’s not a school day?” He asks, he’s got the same look on his face that Bokuto gets when he wants something and Akaashi is really weak to it. 

“Ye… actually… maybe this weekend,” He’d almost forgotten about Udai. “Bokuto-san I’m still working with Udai Tenma… I was going to ask Ushijima for an interview but since he’s not here… Could you do it?” it’s a work thing, that’s all. It’s not like Akaashi wants to spend more time with him. 

“Me?” it’s obvious that he’s fighting a smile.

“If Udai-sensei falls behind I’ll have more work to do… Are you free on Sunday?” 

“Yeah totally!” 

“Well… then why don’t you and Tetsu-kun come over. I’ll have Udai-sensei come over and he can interview you and the kids can play.” Akaashi fiddles with his finger. He’ll have to get the house cleaned up. 

“That’s great! Can I have your number?” he asks, holding out his phone

“Sure,” Akaashi takes it and looks at the screen. It’s still locked, he doesn’t really think about it as he enters in a passcode. It unlocks and Akaashi realizes what just happened, he’d typed in his own birthday. He glances up at Bokuto then looks back down and quickly enters his phone number and holds it back out to him. “You should change your passcode.”

“Huh? Why?” Bokuto looks down at his phone in confusion. 

“Because you haven’t changed your passcode in like nine years.”

“Ugh, it’s too annoying. I can’t remember it if I change it.” Bokuto whines. Akaashi rolls his eyes and smiles just a bit. 

“Some things never change I suppose…” He sees Suga’s car pull into the parking lot and leads Kei towards it. “Text me and we’ll figure out timing for Sunday,” He calls over his shoulder. 

“I will!” 

Akaashi puts their things in the backseat and makes sure that Kei buckles up before he gets into the passenger seat. Suga watches him with a grin on his face. 

“Yes, Suga?”

“Is that Bokuto-san?”

“Yes,” 

“He’s hot. Hair’s a little weird though.” 

“Thank you for your observation Suga.” 

“You’re welcome. You guys get along today?”

“Tetsu-kun is his nephew. He’s going to bring him over for a playdate on Sunday.” Akaashi buckles his seatbelt and glances out the window to where Bokuto and Tetsu are still standing. 

“Oooh okay. A play Date.” The grin stays on Suga’s face as he drives towards their apartment complex. “ You stink by the way Akaashi.”

“I helped with the practice. Apparently, Bokuto and Iwaizumi aren’t the best at setting.” 

“Oooo you played volleyball!” 

“Yeah… yeah, I did.” Akaashi smiles to himself as he watches out his window. He hasn’t felt this good in a long time. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I woke up at 3 am and found that I'd gotten a bunch of comments since I'd gone to bed. Your comments all give me life so here I am still awake at 4 am to give you guys a few more chapters. Thanks for all the love you guys have given this fic! I hope it lives up to all your expectations.

Bokuto Kotaro is not panicking. Not in the slightest bit. He is just simply having a slight meltdown in front of his closet. But it’s fine because this is a very serious matter and if everything is not perfect, then Bokuto might be doomed to a life of singleness.

“You’re blowing this way out of proportion.” Bokuto’s laptop is propped on his bed, facing the closet. A tired-looking Oikawa Tooru glares at the screen. 

“Oikawa you don’t understand! It’s Keiji! Akaashi Keiji! I can’t just show up at his apartment looking like a bum!” 

“Where is Iwa-chan? Are you even aware that it's five in the morning in Argentina?”

“Ugh, I don’t know he’s at work or something. Oikawa you have to help me. Iwa is the worst ever at helping with clothes things. You know that.”

“Yeah yeah but if I’m going to be awake early I want it to at least be worth my time.” Oikawa pulls his blanket up over his head, blocking out the light so he’s barely visible on the screen. “So explain this again now that I’m awake… what exactly am I supposed to be dressing you for?” 

“I’m going to Akaashi’s house tomorrow. It’s been like a million years since I last got to spend time with him and I need to look good because he’s like perfect. God, he’s still so hot Oikawa I’m gonna die.”

“Isn’t Akaashi your ex? I thought he was like married or something.” Oikawa yawns.

“He’s not married… I don’t know. He said he wasn’t married. But he wears a wedding ring still. What do you know about Iwa’s partner? He was the one who recommended Akaashi’s son for the club and when Akaashi was having his panic attack he was the guy that Kei-kun called.”

“Hmm is it Sawamura? I guess I knew him in high school. I know he’s definitely gay though. He was dating someone back then but he wouldn’t give any details. Iwa-chan said he was like a family man or something though. He’s got pictures of kids all over his desk.” Bokuto groans and throws himself down onto his bed.

“Ushijima thought they might be together too… He said that Sawamura picks him up from practice.”

“Well, Ushijima’s an idiot so I wouldn’t trust anything he says.”

“You’re just saying that because you don’t like him.” 

“I don’t he tried to steal my man.” 

“He’s not trying to steal your man Oikawa. I’m not even sure he’s interested in like… people.”

“No one can resist Iwa-chan. Look you don’t even know if this is a date or just a playdate/interview thing. Don’t put too much thought into it. Just wear your normal clothes and make sure Tetsu-chan doesn’t play any pranks.” 

“Oh god what if Tetsu plays a prank and Akaashi never invites us over ever again,” Bokuto pulls a pillow over his face and screams into it.

“Ko-chan. Ko-chan shut up god. Okay, I'll be a good friend. Just stop whatever that is.” Oikawa grumbles. Bokuto pulls the pillow down and peeks at his computer.

“Sorry Oikawa…” he sniffles.

“Okay so… let’s start at the beginning. Why did you guys break up in the first place?” Oikawa pulls his blanket off his head and sits up, flipping on the light next to his bed. Bokuto stares at the ceiling.

“I don’t… I don’t know. I thought everything was okay… I was at practice a lot but I made sure to make time for him still… I even skipped a game to go surprise him at his high school graduation but… he seemed angry that I was there. He said… He said that we should both put high school behind us and move on. I thought that if I just gave him some time that he’d… I don’t know, come back to me or something. I thought we’d always be together and it was just a bump in the road. But then… then I went home to visit my parents and my mom asked me why I hadn’t told her about Akaashi getting married and… we were never out to them so... “

“I told her I didn’t know… I… I thought I was his best friend, I thought that he loved me… But he married someone else… He married a girl and I just… I thought that maybe he’d realized that he wasn’t into guys or something… or maybe that he didn’t want to be with me anymore.” Bokuto pulls the sleeve of his hoodie down over his hand and uses it to rub his eye. 

“So he never really gave you a reason for the break up?” Oikawa asks. Bokuto nods his head though he’s not sure if Oikawa can even see him or not.

“He didn’t… just said that high school was over and then he stopped talking to me.” Bokuto wants a drink. 

“Well if you’re going to try and win him back you will have to dress to impress. You want to look casual but cute and if you’re going to be bringing the kids you may end up doing something active… Bring me to your closet!” Bokuto jumps up from his bed and brings his computer closer to his closet. He flips through it as Oikawa watches and pulls out different articles of clothing when the brunette tells him to. 

They finally settle on a casual looking outfit, white shorts and a dark blue tank top with a black sleeveless hoodie to wear over it. Bokuto lays the outfit out on his bed and holds his computer so it's visible on the camera. 

“Do you think it’s okay?” He asks.

“Ko-chan… I think we need to do something drastic. You gotta do something that really grabs his attention.” Oikawa says thoughtfully.

“Like what?” Bokuto isn’t sure he’s going to like this.

“Your hair.”

“My hair?” 

“You need to wear it down.”

“What?” Bokuto reaches his hand up and makes sure his spikes are all still in place

“Ko-chan when is the only time you have your hair down?” 

“After I shower? Or when I’m sleeping?”

“Exactly. If you wear it down then it will remind Akaashi of more intimate moments that you’ve shared. It’ll totally work.” Oikawa sounds completely sure of himself but the idea is a little weird for Bokuto because he’s been spiking his hair since he was young. 

“Can I wear a hat?” He’s pretty sure there are a couple of hats laying around the house. They might actually be Iwaizumi’s but he won’t notice if one goes missing for a day.

“Yes. But make sure the color matches your outfit.” 

“Okay, I will… Do you think it’ll be okay Oikawa? What if he is dating that Sawamura guy? Kei-kun seemed comfortable with him when he came to pick Akaashi up.”

“You’re thinking too much Ko-chan. Jus-” Oikawa’s voice is drowned out by the sound of Bokuto’s bedroom door slamming open. Iwaizumi comes into the room and grabs the computer from Bokuto’s hands.

“Oi shittykawa answer your damn phone when I call you,” He barks.

“Iwa-chan! I was helping Ko-chan with an emergency. I would have called you back eventually. It’s too early in the morning anyway. You’re all depriving me of my beauty sleep.” 

“You told me to call you at six trashykawa”

“Ah! It’s after six!? Shit!” The video on the computer screen spins as Oikawa’s phone flips through the air. 

“Idiot,” Iwaizumi says fondly. He ends the video call and hands Bokuto back his computer. “Stop hogging my boyfriend.” 

“Iwa, I needed help and you never help,” Bokuto pouts.

“That’s because you only need help with stupid things. What was it this time?” Iwaizumi sits down on Bokuto’s desk and looks at the clothes thrown around the room. 

“I’m going to Akaashi’s house tomorrow. I needed help figuring out what to wear.” He puts his computer down on his bed and neatly folds the outfit they’d picked. 

“Akaashi-san? Do you know him or something? I didn't even know he played til you asked him to join us.” 

“Mm yeah, we played volleyball together in high school. Akaashi’s my setter.” Bokuto smiles fondly. He can still see the excitement on Akaashi’s face as he set the ball, his suit all askew. He’d been so beautiful. The glasses he wore now were adorable too. Bokuto just wanted to hug him and never let go. 

“You mean he was your setter?” Iwaizumi looks amused. Bokuto just shakes his head.

“No, the sets from Akaashi are the best. He’ll always be my setter.” 

“You love him?” Iwaizumi asks. 

“Yeah.” Bokuto nods. 

“He could have changed since you knew him,”

“Did Oikawa change while you guys were apart?” 

“He got more annoying.” Iwaizumi stands up and stretches. “Ramen for dinner?” 

“Yes please!”


	9. Chapter 9

Akaashi doesn’t think the apartment has ever been this clean since Shouyou became mobile. The little orange-haired ball of energy had been practically running before he could crawl and he always left a mess in his wake. But Akaashi had gotten lucky this time. Kei and Shouyou had been watching videos of Bokuto on the tablet and Shouyou had seemingly become obsessed with the energetic wing spiker. When He found out he was coming over to the apartment he’d agreed to help clean and while he hadn’t actually been much help he’d managed to resist making any messes. 

Kei seemed to be excited as well, he’d changed his clothes at least twice since that morning and he kept glancing at the clock. He’d even dragged Shouyou into his bedroom to get the toddler changed after he’d spilled some juice on himself. Akaashi can kind of get it though after all this is the first time that Kei has ever had a friend come over to the apartment he wanted to make as good an impression as his father did. 

Akaashi is in the process of cooking lunch, Bokuto and Udai are both supposed to arrive at the same time and he figures that he can keep the kids occupied with food while Udai asks whatever questions he needs. He checks his phone for any new messages while he stirs the food on the stove. 

“Papa, papa, papa!” Shouyou yells. He’s standing on the couch bouncing up and down. Akaashi looks over at him and sees that Kei is watching him as well. 

“ _ It’s time”  _ Kei signs. Akaashi glances at the time and then nods, he’s a little surprised. It’s the first time Kei has ever used Shouyou to grab his attention. He usually hates when his brother gets loud. 

“Yeah, you’re right. Can you get the door when they knock?” He wants to have time to try and get his apron off before Bokuto sees him. Not that he’s trying to look good for Bokuto of course. He just doesn’t want to get teased. 

“Me! I wanna open!” Shouyou is bouncing more.

“Shouyou off the couch,” Akaashi scolds. Shouyou leaps off the back of the couch and runs to the door. Kei scrunches up his face and runs after his little brother. Akaashi can hear them wrestling in the doorway but decides to ignore it for the moment as it doesn’t sound like either of them is being too rough. Shouyou has a tendency to forget how much smaller he is and often hurts himself trying to fight his brother.

A knock on the door increases the sound of their scuffle and then the door is being opened. Akaashi tries to get his apron off quickly but the string ends up knotted somehow and he’s stuck in it. He curses his luck.

“Udai-san!” Shouyou cheers. Akaashi keeps working at the knot. 

“Hello Shou-chan, Kei-kun.” Udai comes into the apartment and slips his shoes off. He pats both the boys on their heads. Kei scrunches up his face in annoyance but Shouyou beams.

“Udai-san Udai-san! We get to meet the hey hey hey guy!” 

“Oh, you know who Bokuto-san is?” Udai walks into the apartment and puts his bag down. 

“I watched him on the tablet! He’s all woosh! And bang! And and and then he goes boing!” Shouyou jumps up and down. “And he’s all hey hey hey!” Udai laughs and ruffles Shouyou’s hair again.

“Yes, I think I saw that video too. How are you today Kei-kun?” Udai sits down in one of the chairs. Kei signs something but he’s standing in a spot where Akaashi’s view of his hands is blocked. 

“That means good!” Shouyou bounces around his older brother. Akaashi stares at them.

“Shou did you understand Kei’s sign?” he asks. Shouyou nods his head, his curls bouncing. 

“Yeah! Kei talks with his hands!” Shouyou tries to grab Kei’s hands but the blonde isn’t having it. He hides his hands behind his back and takes a few steps away. 

“When did you learn that?” They’d been trying to teach Shouyou at least some of the signs for a while but he never really had the patience to sit and learn. 

“I watched!” There’s another knock at the door. Both of the kids glance at each other and then make a run for it. Shouyou trips on a rug and falls on his face as Kei opens the apartment door. 

“Kei-kun!” Tetsu calls. Shouyou lifts his head, his face a little red from the impact. 

“Hey hey hey! energy beam!” He yells pointing at Bokuto where he stands behind his nephew.

“Oh!” Bokuto grins down at him. Kei opens the door the rest of the way so the newcomers can come into the apartment. Bokuto slips his shoes off and walks over to where Shouyou is still splayed out on the ground and lifts the toddler back onto his feet. 

“I’m okay!” Shouyou declares. Bokuto laughs at that and pats his head gently.

“I can see that,” he smiles at the small boy. Kei walks past them, pulling Tetsu along by his wrist down the hall to where his bedroom is. Akaashi gives up on the apron and saves their food from being burned, he really should have just had Daichi cook. 

“Papa! Papa!” Shouyou jumps up and down. Akaashi should apologize to their downstairs neighbors again. 

“Yes, Shou?” He asks. Shouyou holds Bokuto’s hand and pulls him to the kitchen.

“It's energy beam guy!” Shouyou declares proudly. Akaashi chuckles and looks at Bokuto. 

“Yes, he is.” Akaashi tries to resist staring at Bokuto but isn’t very successful. He’s bulked up even more since high school and his arms are on full display. Akaashi wants to touch. He’s wearing a hat backward and Akaashi is pretty sure his hair isn’t spiked. Shouyou grips Bokuto’s hand with both of his, the toddler's tiny hands wrapped around calloused fingers. He bounces as he excitedly talks about the videos he’d watched. Bokuto focuses on him, nodding along and answering his questions. Watching the two interact gives Akaashi a warm fuzzy feeling. He puts the food into serving dishes and moves to put them on the dining table. 

“Do you want help, Akaashi?” Bokuto asks. 

“No, it’s alright. You’re the guest. Ah, you remember Udai-sensei right?” Akaashi feels bad for forgetting the artist was there.

“Oh yeah of course!” Bokuto thinks for a moment then lifts Shouyou up into his arms and goes to greet Udai, holding out his free hand. Udai shakes his hand.

“I don’t have too many questions… so I shouldn’t take up too much of your free time.” 

“No worries! Interviews are fun,” Bokuto grins. 

“You guys can use the living room if you’d like. Lunch is ready so I’ll get the kids fed.” Akaashi finishes setting the table and tugs at the string of his apron again, getting a little frustrated with it. 

“Sounds good to me,” Bokuto moves behind Akaashi and knocks his hand away from the string gently. He moves Shouyou over his shoulder and works on the knot himself. Shouyou laughs and grips Bokuto’s hood. “How’d you get so stuck?”

“I’m not sure… I think Shouyou was pulling on it earlier.” Akaashi’s face feels warm and he has to resist the urge to react every time Bokuto’s hands brush against his back. 

“Shouyou-chan,” Bokuto gasps, “Did you trap your papa in his apron?” 

“I wanted cookies!” The toddler explains. Bokuto laughs and gets the knot undone. 

“Cookies are pretty important,” He lifts the apron over Akaashi’s head with a smile. Akaashi nods his head just a bit in thanks then takes Shouyou from him. 

“I’ll keep him out of your way while you guys talk…” He holds Shouyou close as he moves away from Bokuto and goes to get the two older boys for lunch. He’s pretty sure it was a bad idea to invite Bokuto to his apartment. He should have planned to do this somewhere else. 

Akaashi knocks lightly on the door to Kei’s bedroom before he enters. He takes one step in and stops to stare at the sight before him. Kei and Tetsu are both kneeling with an army of toy dinosaurs set up in even rows covering most of the bedroom floor. Kei has his dinosaur book in his hand opened to display the same dinosaur as the one he currently holds. Akaashi really doesn’t know who’s been buying so many dinosaurs. 

“Um… Lunch is ready boys. Why don’t you come out and eat,” he’s not sure how they’ll get out without disrupting the army. 

“Akaashi-san! There are so many dinosaurs!” Tetsu declares as he gets to his feet carefully.

“There certainly are…” Akaashi agrees. 

“I only thought there were like three kinds. But Kei-kun has been showing me all the different types of dinosaurs! I still think the t-rex is my favorite though. They have big teeth.”

“Kei is very good at studying. He practiced reading extra hard so he could learn about all the different types.” Kei stands up as well now and together both boys gingerly step around the toys to make it to the door without disturbing them. Shouyou is starting to squirm in his father's arms and Akaashi makes a note to himself to keep a close eye on him so he doesn’t make a mess of the toys. 

Somehow the kids manage to have a peaceful and relatively mess-free lunch. Shouyou is still excited about having Bokuto in the house but he seems to realize while he’s eating that there’s another kid there. He bombards Tetsu with questions about every subject he can think of and thankfully the messy-haired eight-year-old seems more than happy to answer them. He even makes sure to speak to Kei as well so he doesn’t feel left out. Akaashi thinks that Tetsu seems pretty mature for his age, but he’s also related to Bokuto so there’s a bit of a wild streak in him. 

Udai and Bokuto talk in the living room and while Akaashi can make out the sounds of their voices he can’t really hear their words. He’s been feeling strange since Bokuto arrived at the apartment. He’s spent so much time avoiding thinking about Bokuto and the past and what could have been, and now Bokuto is here in the current life that he built for himself. 

Akaashi has been drawn to Bokuto from the first moment he saw him. His warm laugh and his smile so bright it's nearly blinding. The way that he was always so open with his emotions and yet at the same time he was complex. Akaashi had spent three years trying to learn the ins and outs of what made him tick and yet every time he thought that he really knew Bokuto he’d learn something else. Akaashi had wanted so badly to be selfish. He had wanted to keep Bokuto to himself, he’d wanted things to stay the same. But Bokuto was like the sun. He needed to be out in the world, needed to be allowed to shine. If Akaashi had been selfish then Bokuto would have wilted in the shadows.

Kei and Tetsu disappear back into the bedroom to sort out their dinosaur infestation when they’re done eating. Udai finishes up his questions and Akaashi offers them both lunch but the mangaka is feeling inspired and he wants to get back to his studio quickly so Akaashi sees him out while Bokuto sits down at the table to eat and entertain Shouyou. Akaashi closes the door behind Udai and then goes and takes a seat across from Bokuto and puts some food on his own plate. 

“Thank you for helping him today Bokuto-san. I’m sure that you must be busy so I’m grateful you were able to find the time for this.”

“You don’t have to thank me Akaashi! It’s the off-season anyway so other than helping Iwa with the club I don’t have much to do. Just some like promotional stuff here and there. Oh careful,” Bokuto catches Shouyou’s cup just before it tips over and sets it upright further away from the fidgeting toddler. 

“Thank you Bokuto-san,” Akaashi picks up a napkin and uses it to wipe Shouyou’s face.

“Akaaaashhiii stop thanking me for stuff. You don’t have to be so formal with me!” Bokuto pouts and Akaashi thinks that if they’d still been in high school he would have kissed the pout off his face. 

“Papa,” Shouyou is starting to bounce in his seat.

“Go ahead, Shou. Just don’t knock over your brother’s dinosaurs,” Akaashi scoots Shouyou’s chair back a bit with his foot and the toddler jumps off it before running off down the hallway. Akaashi figures that it should take at least ten minutes for him to get into something troublesome. 

“He’s so energetic,” Bokuto laughs. It’s then that Akaashi realizes that he’s now alone with Bokuto. He should have kept Shouyou close as a distraction. 

“Mm yeah. I wasn’t prepared for it at all… Kei was calm even at that age,” Akaashi looks down at his plate determined not to end up staring at the other man again.

“Can I um…” Bokuto rubs the back of his neck. “Kei-kun can hear, right? Is it okay if I ask… Why doesn't he talk?”

“It’s selective mutism caused by trauma. Kei hasn’t spoken since the night his mother passed away,” he puts his hands on his lap, twisting his fingers together. 

“Oh right, you're um… Your wife. I’m sorry to hear about that. I um… I didn’t even know you’d gotten married,” Akaashi glances up and meets Bokuto’s gaze. There are a lot of emotions swirling about his golden eyes. Akaashi doesn’t let himself analyze them, but he can’t lie to him.

“It wasn’t… We didn’t really have a wedding. Just signed the papers with our parents… We didn’t plan it. The marriage or the baby. We weren’t even really in a relationship… We’d been… Lonely I guess. She was in a country where she barely spoke the language and I was,” He was trying to get over Bokuto. “Anyway when she found out it just… Seemed like the right thing to do. Things were good though, we always got along pretty well…” 

“Did you love her?” Bokuto’s voice is soft, hesitant. Akaashi freezes, his chest feels tight. 

“We had a good life… I love the children we created.”

“Akaashi. Did you love her?” 

“Not the way I should have…” Akaashi can’t eat anymore. He gets up and starts to clean the table. He doesn’t look at Bokuto as he brings things into the kitchen. He doesn’t want to think about how he failed as a husband. 

“Can I help?” Bokuto sets the rest of the dishes down on the counter beside the sink. Akaashi fakes a smile as he turns to face him. 

“I’ve got it Bokuto-san. You’re a guest here.” 

“Don’t worry Akaashi I won’t break any dishes,” Bokuto comes further into the kitchen and stands behind the black-haired man. He puts his hands on his hips and moves him away from the sink. “Go do whatever you do to relax.” Akaashi wants to argue but one look at Bokuto’s face and he knows that he’s not going to win the fight. He lets out a long sigh and then nods his head in defeat.

“I’ll go check on the kids,” He mumbles as he moves away.

“Relax Akaashi!” Bokuto calls after him before turning back into the sink and starting to clean with a smile on his face.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what is sleep? Have another chapter

Akaashi sits on his bed with his knees pulled up to his chest. He tries not to think about the fact that Bokuto is out there in his apartment, tidying up like he’s been there a million times. He thinks about the feel of his hands on his hips. He wonders how long it's been since he’s been touched in a non-platonic way. He craves more, but he can’t do it. He was the one who made this decision. It's more relevant now. Bokuto is a star. People love him and he’s in demand for promotions and events. A boyfriend and kids is the last thing he needs. 

“Papa!” Shouyou bursts into the room with wide eyes. Akaashi crosses his legs and sits up straighter, switching his face back to neutral. 

“Yes, Shou?”

“I wanna watch a movie with Boku-san!” 

“Oh um… yeah that’s fine.” He should have planned this out more. Kei is having fun with his friend but Akaashi kind of wishes they’d just leave already and he could go back to pretending that he was just fine. 

“Boku-san! Movie!” Shouyou runs back out to the living room. Akaashi flops back and pulls a pillow over his face, he wishes he could scream into it but the walls are too thin. 

He doesn’t remember falling asleep. He’s laying on his side curled around a pillow and there are fingers gently carding through his dark curls. It's comforting and he doesn’t want it to stop. “Kotaro,” He leans into the touch. 

“Hey sleepy, it’s getting late,” The bed shifts as Bokuto sits down on the edge of it. 

“The kids?” He mumbles.

“Watching a movie. I ordered them pizza for dinner… I hope that was okay. I didn’t want to wake you.” 

“Pizza’s good…” He doesn’t want to move.

“I should get Tetsu home soon… It’s a school night.” Bokuto stands back up and starts to pull his hand away. Akaashi can’t help himself, he catches Bokuto’s hand and pulls it back to his head. 

“Few more minutes.” 

“Akaashi…” Bokuto sits back down and slides his fingers through the curls once again, “You’re gonna drive me crazy.” 

“Sorry, Bokuto-san…” He opens his eyes just a bit and looks up at the man beside him. Gold eyes gaze down at him with a warmth that’s all too familiar. A warmth Akaashi didn’t think would still be there. He closes his eyes again and tries to will away the tears threatening to spill from his own eyes. He feels stupid. He shouldn’t feel this emotional just from a simple touch. 

“Keiji.” Bokuto moves further onto the bed and rests his back against the headboard. He tugs gently on his arm and the younger man sits up with his back to Bokuto.

“Sorry…” he whispers. 

“No more saying sorry.” Bokuto wraps his arms around Akaashi’s waist and pulls him onto his lap. He holds him closer and continues running his fingers through his hair. Akaashi lets himself melt against Bokuto’s chest. He tucks his face against his neck to hide his tears.

“You must think I’m pathetic…” 

“Course not Akaashi. I um… I’m kinda happy actually. I mean not that you’re crying. I don’t wanna see you cry ever… But um… to tell you the truth. I know that with you being like this it means you’re not seeing anyone right now…” Bokuto can’t help the smile pulling at his lip. Akaashi lifts his head a bit and looks at him curiously. “You’re a touchy person Kashi. You used to get grumpy if I didn’t give you lots of love. I remember even in your first year before we started dating. Remember when I got sick and I couldn’t go to training camp? You came over to my house as soon as you got back and had to stay right next to me. You ended up getting sick too!” 

“I came over cause you kept blowing up my phone with text messages telling me how lonely you were.” Akaashi rolls his eyes and drops his head back onto Bokuto’s shoulder. 

“Yeah I wanted you to come over but I didn’t expect you to sit like on top of me the whole time.” 

“You were warm…”

“I was sick! And it was the summertime. Admit it Akaashi you just wanted love. You’re a touchy-feely person and you get like… um… there’s a word for it. Touch starved?” 

“I’m not touch starved Bokuto-san… I have two kids half the time I can’t even sleep without at least one of them squishing me.” 

“Well maybe it's not like… maybe it’s romantic affection that you want? I don’t know… In the past, I noticed that you’d get antsy and kinda sad when we couldn’t touch and after I graduated I noticed that you’d get really clingy when I came to see you.”

“I… Never noticed I guess.”

“It never bothered me so I never said anything. I like cuddling with you.” Bokuto touches his lips to the top of Akaashi’s head.

“Bokuto-san… it’s been a long time…” 

“I know. We don’t have to talk about it okay. If you…” he pauses, hesitating. “I just wanna hold you for a bit. If that’s okay.”

“I… I’d like that.” 

“Okay. Good.” Bokuto rests his head on top of Akaashi’s and rubs circles on his back. Akaashi lets himself melt into the warmth. He knows that he has a tendency to be clingy, but the truth is that he only feels that way around Bokuto. It’s like the golden-eyed man is some sort of drug for Akaashi. He can’t resist him, he doesn’t want to ever be away from him and the longer they’re apart the more he craves his touch. 

“It’s a school night,” Akaashi says, mostly to remind himself. He makes no move to get up though.

“Mhmm yeah, but their movie isn’t over yet. It’d be mean to make Tetsu leave before it's over.” 

“What are they watching?”

“Land before time I think. Kei-kun picked it.” 

“Mm, he’ll have bad dreams. Probably have to sleep in my bed tonight.” 

“Oh sorry, should I have not let them watch it?” 

“He forgets that the mom dies. I should just get rid of the DVD.” 

“Can I… are you okay talking about it?” 

“Another time…” Akaashi feels comfortable and warm. For the first time in a while, he feels at peace. He doesn’t want to ruin it. 

“Will there be another time?” Bokuto’s voice is uncharacteristically small.

“Kei and Tetsu are friends… and there’s volleyball. We’re bound to run into each other.” 

“I know but… I mean, will there be another time like this?” 

“You’re on a break right now aren’t you? You’ll have to go back to Osaka when it’s over…”

“Yeah but… I come to Tokyo all the time. For games and just to see my family… so…” 

“Bokuto-san, I’m not… looking for a relationship right now.” He feels Bokuto’s body tense up, the warm hand on his back stops its circles.

“I… I mean we can hang out as friends, right? We were friends before we were…” They both know they were never really just friends.

“Yeah… we can be friends.” Akaashi knows he’s already doomed.


	11. Chapter 11

Akaashi glares down at the opened package on the dining room table. He’d found it waiting on the doorstep when he’d gotten home from work. Shouyou is gripping the edge of the table standing on his tiptoes trying to see into it. Kei leans on the other side of the table equally as eager. 

“You look like you’re trying to set whatever that is on fire,” Suga jokes from the entryway. He slips his shoes over and goes over to peek in the box as well. “What’s that?”

“It’s from Bokuto,” Akaashi sighs. He hands over the note that came with it. 

“Your apartment has a total lack of volleyball merch and it's disturbing. So this is for you and the kids.” Suga reads, he laughs and pulls out a stuffed Vabo-chan from the box. “That’s cute.” 

“He likes to show off.” Akaashi sighs. He takes the stuffed figure from Suga and hands it to Shouyou. The hyperactive toddler squeals happily and hugs it tightly. 

“What else did he send?” Suga sits on the table and pulls the box closer to rifle through it. 

“Black jackal jerseys, a few issues of volleyball monthly, knee and elbow pads for both boys,” Akaashi takes out a toddler-sized MSBY black jackal jersey with the number twelve and Bokuto’s name on the back. Kei climbs onto a chair and points at the box. Suga slides it to him and watches as Kei takes out his own jersey and the bigger of the kneepads. He pulls the jersey on over his t-shirt and hops off the chair before Akaashi can say anything. Seeing his son wearing Bokuto’s name makes Akaashi’s chest feel tight. 

“So if it's just stuff like that why are you looking so pouty?” Suga flips through the volleyball magazines. Akaashi gives the other jersey to Shouyou and waits for him to run off before speaking.

“He did this in high school… He’d buy me snacks and little gifts… It’s his way of courting or whatever,” He picks up another issue of the volleyball magazine, this one with a picture of Bokuto on the cover. Suga snorts a laugh.

“Courting? God, you’re weird Akaashi. Just say flirting like a normal person.” 

“He’s the one that calls it courting.” there’s a thud as Shouyou falls over, tangled in his jersey. Kei takes a few steps back to avoid his flailing limbs. “Kei help your brother please.” Kei’s face scrunches up but he kneels down to wrestle his brother into the shirt. 

“So what’s your plan?” Suga turns the magazine sideways.

“Plan for what?” 

“Bokuto-san. Are you gonna turn him down?” 

“I already told him that I’m not looking for a relationship.” Akaashi takes the rest of the stuff out of the box and breaks it down to put it into recycling later. 

“Ah there’s a jersey for you to Akaashi,” Suga picks it up and examines it.

“You can have it.” He puts the box next to the door.

“Mm, no thanks. You don’t mean that.”

“Why do you say that?” 

“Because this is a real jersey and I’m pretty sure it’s been worn before.” He tosses the shirt to Akaashi who examines it. Suga is right, it’s clearly one of Bokuto’s game jerseys. “Not to mention the ones he got the boys are the right sizes and that one would be big on you.” 

“Great, now he’s trying to mark me.” Akaashi folds the shirt carefully and goes to put it in his bedroom.

“He says while keeping it.” Suga hops off the table and goes to see if he can manage to untangle the mess of Shouyou’s clothes.

Akaashi stands in front of his closet with the jersey in his hands. He was going to tuck it away in the back and forget about it but he lifts it up and sniffs it first. It smells like a mix of Bokuto’s laundry detergent and body wash. He’s still using the same ones he did in high school. Akaashi hates himself for remembering that. He moves to the bed and tucks the jersey under his pillow before going out to the living room.

\---

Akaashi isn’t at all surprised when Shouyou declares he doesn’t want to wear anything but the jersey all week. He does manage to keep from getting any food on it at least which is pretty impressive really. He’s started to carry Vabo-chan around everywhere as well and spends a lot of his screen time watching videos of Bokuto on Youtube. It’s driving Akaashi a little crazy. 

On Wednesday he gets an email from Iwaizumi, a reporter from volleyball monthly wants to do a feature on Bokuto and Ushijima working together on the volleyball club. They’ll be observing the lesson and taking photographs. None of the kids will be featured in the magazine without the parents' permission but kids are welcome to skip the lesson. Akaashi’s not really too worried about it and he knows that Kei will have to miss practice later in the month for a doctor's appointment so he won’t make him miss this one. 

He writes back an email to Iwaizumi telling him that Kei will be there while he sits in the waiting room of Kiyoko’s office. The little blonde girl is there again today. She sits in the toy corner holding onto a toy train. Her eyes are red from crying and she’s been waiting for her mom for nearly forty minutes now. Akaashi puts his phone away and takes a pack of tissues from his briefcase. He goes over and kneels down beside the girl, offering her a tissue.

“Do you want to blow your nose?” he asks her. The little girl jumps a bit and stares at him with wide eyes. She seems terrified and Akaashi thinks that maybe he shouldn’t have approached her but she reaches out with a shaking hand to take the tissue and blows her nose with it then goes to throw it into the garbage can. Akaashi sits back down on the couch and watches her. The girl climbs on the couch next to him and sits with her hands on her lap. 

“Is your mom running late today?” He asks. 

“Mama’s at work.” She whispers. 

“I see. I’m Akaashi Keiji. What’s your name?” 

“Hi… Hitoka Yachi,” the little girl’s blonde bangs fall in her face and she fidgets.

“It’s nice to meet you Hitoka-chan. I was going to read a book while I wait for my son to finish with Tanaka-sensei. Do you want me to read out loud?” he keeps his voice soft so as not to startle her. Hitoka nods her head. Akaashi opens up the e-reader on his phone and picks one of the storybooks. He holds the phone so Hitoka can see the pictures as he reads it out loud. The little girl seems to relax a bit as he reads and scoots closer to see the pictures better. 

“Hitoka-chan you’re still here?” Kiyoko asks. She stands in the doorway of her office with Kei at her side. 

“Mama is working,” She says with wide eyes. Kei hurries over to Akaashi and climbs onto his father's lap. Akaashi strokes his hand over blonde curls.

“I’ll give her a call and see when she’s going to come pick you up.” Kiyoko is clearly annoyed but she’s trying to keep her face neutral. 

“Me and Kei can stay here for a bit longer. Shall we read another story?” both children nod their heads. Akaashi kisses Kei’s head and lets him pick another story. He rests his chin on the boy's head as he reads to them. 

It takes thirty more minutes for Hitoka’s mom to show up. Akaashi reads two more books to the children in that time period. Hitoka warms up to them in that time and she speaks and asks questions about the stories, but as soon as her mom comes into the waiting room she gets quiet again and hops off the couch to follow her mom out. Akaashi wishes he could say something to her. He stands up with Kei and heads out to pick up some sweets from the store to have after dinner.

“Ah Kei, coach Iwaizumi sent me an email while you were meeting with Tanaka-sensei. He said that there are going to be reporters there to interview Bokuto-san and Ushijima-san. They might take some pictures during your practice too.” he explains. Kei tilts his head a bit and thinks about it. 

“ _ Will they ask questions?”  _ He signs slowly. 

“Hmm, I don’t think so. But if they do then you don’t have to answer them. Of course, if you do want to then me or Bokuto-san can translate for you.” 

“ _ Is Bokuto going to come to our house again?”  _

“Oh um… Well, he might some time. He’s Tetsu-Kun's uncle so if you guys have another playdate then Bokuto-san might come with. Is that okay with you?” He glances down at Kei as they walk, watching him as he considers this information. 

“ _ That’s okay.”  _ Kei holds his dad’s hand again as they continue their walk. 

\---

On Thursday evening Akaashi once again takes his work with him when he goes to pick up Kei from school. As much as he wants to play volleyball himself he’d just get in the way of the three coaches they already have. Kei is excited about being able to play again. He barely pays any attention to his father as he takes his bag and runs to the gyms changing rooms. Akaashi finds a seat in his normal spot on the bleachers and gets started on his work.

Across the gym, Ushijima and Bokuto are speaking with the reporters while Iwaizumi is stuck getting the equipment set up. Akaashi would offer to help if he hadn’t been falling behind on his work. He chews on his pen as he looks down at the papers in his hands. They start their practice right on time despite the presence of the reporter and the photographers. 

Akaashi’s phone starts to vibrate partway through the practice and he slips it out to see that Daichi is calling. It always makes him worry a bit when Daichi calls while he’s babysitting. He slips out of the gym quickly and answers his phone.

“Daichi? Is everything alright?” he asks. 

“Yeah sorry to worry you, but um… There’s just been a break in the case at work and they need me to come in. I know it’s supposed to be a day for you and Kei but can I drop Shou off at the gym?” 

“Oh yeah, that’s fine. Kei will understand. Does Iwaizumi need to go into work with you?” he asks. Iwaizumi doesn’t usually have his phone on him during the practices.

“No, it should be okay for now. He can just take the night shift.” Akaashi can almost see Daichi’s grin. 

“Alright. I’ll see you shortly then,” Akaashi ends the call and goes back in to take his seat. He watches the court, or more correctly he watches Bokuto as he works with the kids. He barely notices the time passing until Daichi shows up, already in his uniform, with a sleeping Shouyou in his arms. 

“Hey, Akaashi. Sorry about this again.” Daichi hands the sleeping toddler over gently. Of course, he’s still got his Bokuto jersey on. Akaashi is a bit embarrassed and he hopes that Bokuto won’t make a big deal about it. Daichi waves at Iwaizumi and gives him two thumbs up and a grin before hurrying back out of the gym. Iwaizumi glares after him. 

Akaashi chuckles a bit and then looks down to make sure he hadn’t woken the little one. Shouyou is still out, drooling a bit on Akaashi's shoulder. He rolls his eyes and picks his work up with one hand. He’ll have to balance them both. Shouyou could sleep through anything as long as he’s being held but the second someone puts him down he’ll shoot back awake and be a grumpy mess.

“Akaashi,” Bokuto’s voice surprises him. He lifts his gaze to look at him. 

“Yes, Bokuto-san?” 

“Is Shou-chan okay? Do you want to lay him down? I can find something comfortable for him to lay on,” He offers, bending down to look at Shouyou’s sleeping face.

“No that’s okay. He’ll wake up if he gets put down and be a nightmare to handle.” 

“Oh… You’re doing your work right? If you think he’ll sleep through it then I can hold Shou-chan for you.” he offers. Akaashi glances down at Shouyou.

“He’ll sleep through anything really, as long as he’s being held. But you’ve got the photographers and stuff here.” 

“No worries Akaashi. I can give the spotlight to Ushijima. Besides I should spend time with my little fan.” Bokuto takes Shouyou gently from Akaashi’s arms and tucks him against his own shoulder. “I got this. You work hard.” Bokuto flashes a smile and then heads back onto the court with the toddlers in his arms. Akaashi watches them go, taking a deep breath. Bokuto holding the sleeping toddler with that damn jersey on is going to make his heart explode. 


	12. Chapter 12

Bokuto can’t stop smiling. The interview had been easy, he’d just had to give them a few good quotes about how much he loved helping the kids and then covered up for Ushijima’s blunt responses. He was so used to cameras by now that he didn’t even really notice them once he started the practice. But the reason that he couldn’t stop smiling was because Akaashi had trusted him with Shouyou. Sure the dead weight of the sleeping toddler was a bit awkward but Shouyou was wearing his number twelve jersey and Akaashi had looked so grateful when he’d taken him that Bokuto would put up with anything. 

He shifts Shouyou from one arm to the other. The toddler squirms a bit and Bokuto is worried that he’s woken him up for a second but his tiny arms wrap around Bokuto’s neck and he settles back down. Bokuto lets out a sigh of relief but apparently, it was just a moment too soon.

“Uncle Ko!” Tetsu’s voice yells. Bokuto spins around and spots his nephew right away, He’s standing on the side of the court with Kei and the reporter kneeling down in front of them. Kei’s face is red and his hands are clenched at his sides. Tetsu’s hair seems to be sticking up more than normal and he’s baring his teeth at the reporter. He rushes over and catches his nephew by the collar of his shirt just before he jumps at her.

“Hey hey hey what’s going on?” He asks. Tetsu kicks his feet, trying to get free from Bokuto’s hold. Now that he’s closer and he sees tears welling up in Kei’s eyes, and he wishes that he had an extra hand to comfort him with but as it is he knows he needs to wait for Tetsu to calm down. 

“Oh, Bokuto-san. I was just asking these boys what it’s like to have two professional volleyball players as their coaches,” The reporter stands up straight and flashes a smile at him. 

“She was trying to bully Kei-kun into talking,” Tetsu crosses his arms and glares at her. He seems a bit more under control now so Bokuto sets him back down. He kneels beside Kei and puts his free hand on his shoulder. He’s trembling a bit. Bokuto isn’t sure if he’d like to be hugged or not and he needs to be able to see his hands so he refrains from pulling him closer. 

“Kei-kun, are you okay?” He asks. Kei turns his back to the reporter. 

“ _ No talking”  _ He spells the words out slowly so Bokuto can understand then shuffles closer and holds onto his coach's shirt. Bokuto nods and takes Kei’s grip as permission to pull him into a one-armed hug. 

“No one is going to make you talk.” He shoots a glare up at the reporter. “You’re here to interview me and Ushijima. There’s no reason for you to talk to the kids, especially without their parents present.”  
“I’m sorry Bokuto-san. We didn’t know he was-” Bokuto interrupts her.

“He’s not anything. We told you when we agreed to this that you were not to involve the children without the express permission of their parents. Kei-Kun's father is right on the bleachers. If you’d taken a second to speak to him we could have avoided upsetting anyone. Instead, you decided to try and bully a child into talking.”

“It wasn’t bullying, sometimes children get nervous and need encouragement to talk.” 

“Tetsu, good job getting my attention,” Bokuto looks at his nephew. 

“No one bullies my friends!” Tetsu glares at the reporter, sticks out his tongue, and pulls down on one eyelid. Bokuto snickers even though he knows he’s not supposed to encourage Tetsu’s misbehaving. 

“You’re right Tetsuro,” he glares up at the reporter again. “I think it's time for you to leave. You’ve disturbed practice enough and I won’t have you here bothering my students.” Kei’s small hands twist in the fabric of Bokuto’s shirt. He thinks that he might fight anyone who upset the small blonde boy. 

“Right… sorry… I didn’t mean to-” A hand drops onto Bokuto’s shoulder, long slender finger gripping tightly.

“Is everything alright Bokuto-san?” Akaashi’s voice is icy. Bokuto doesn’t need to look to know who it is but he does anyway because a pissed-off Akaashi is a rare and beautiful sight and he’s not going to pass up that chance. Akaashi’s eyes are narrowed, more blue than green, and aimed at the supposed threat to his child. 

“Mm, it's okay Akaashi-san. They’re leaving now.” Bokuto puts a hand on Kei’s head as he stands up straight, strokes his hand through soft blonde curls. Shouyou is still sleeping soundly on his shoulder and Akaashi’s hand still rests on his other shoulder. He feels good. Like he’s part of a family. He wants.

But for now, he needs to get rid of these annoying reporters. Angry Akaashi is hot as hell but he’s also got a sharp tongue and with his kids being involved he’s sure that he’d be even more vicious. 

“Wakatoshi,” He calls over his shoulder. Ushijima looks over from where he’s working with a few kids. “Walk these folks out of the gym for me.” 

“Sure Bokuto-san,” Ushijima walks over and his size and his stern face are really all that it takes. The reporter and her photographer are quick to gather up their things and hurry out of the gym with Ushijima following behind them. Bokuto turns to Akaashi. 

“Deep breath Akaashi. I handled it.” He says softly. Akaashi meets his eyes and takes a few deep breaths then bends down, putting his hands on Kei’s cheeks and looking him over.

“Are you alright Kei?” He asks. Kei nods and takes his glasses off, he pulls a cloth out of Akaashi’s pocket and cleans the lenses. Bokuto runs his hand through blonde curls once more before moving his hand and shifting Shouyou from one arm to the other. For someone so small he sure started to get heavy after so much time. 

“Thank you Bokuto-san… I can take Shouyou back if you want me to.” Akaashi helps Kei to get his glasses back on properly, making sure the strap doesn’t pull at any of his hair.

“Did you finish your work?” He asks. 

“I got enough of it done that I can finish the rest tonight after the boys go to bed.” 

“And get enough sleep yourself?” Bokuto raises an eyebrow. Akaashi narrows his eyes a bit. “Cause I remember in high school you’d stay late at practice with me and then you’d be up all night doing your homework.” 

“You would have been too if you’d actually bothered to do your homework.” Akaashi takes Shouyou back into his own arms. “Kei are you good to finish practice?” Kei nods his head then grabs Tetsu’s hand and runs back to the other kids. 

“You’re still hot when you’re angry,” Bokuto grins when the kids are out of earshot. Akaashi huffs and looks away, his cheeks dusted pink. 

“You’re ridiculous Bokuto-san.” He turns and walks back to the bleachers. Bokuto can’t stop smiling as he watches them go. 


	13. Chapter 13

**Bokuto: Akaashi**

**Akaashi**

**Akaashi**

**Akaashi: What Bokuto-san?**

**Bokuto: Akaashi! What are you doing tonight??**

**Akaashi: Watching a movie with the kids.**

**Bokuto: Do you think you could get a babysitter?**

**Akaashi: Its kind of last minute. Why?**

**Bokuto: I need my setter! Iwa challenged me!**

**His Oikawa is in town and they think they’re better than us!!**

**Akaashi: You want me to play with you?**

**Bokuto: I need you!!!!**

**Oikawas a bitch who thinks he’s better than everyone**

**Just cause he plays for Argentina!**

**Akaashi: he’s another pro?**

**Bokuto: yeah but you’re a better setter.**

**Akaashi: what time?**

**Bokuto: !!!!!!!**

**I can pick u up in an hour???**

**Akaashi: fine**

**Bokuto: ╰( ･ ᗜ ･ )╯!!!!!!!**

Akaashi fiddles with his phone, a small smile tugging at his lips. He’d meant to say no. It was too last minute really, Suga was at some teacher's conference and Daichi was probably sleeping because he’d been covering for Iwaizumi so he could take off while his friend was in town. That friend must be the Oikawa that Bokuto had mentioned. 

Shouyou is napping in his room and Kei is sitting quietly on the floor with his tablet so Akaashi takes the chance to slip next door to the Sawamura’s apartment. Like he expected he finds Daichi sleeping. He flops down on the bed beside him. Daichi cracks one eye open to look at him then closes it again.

“No,” He mumbles.

“Please?” Akaashi asks. 

“Why?” Daichi buries his face in the pillows.

“Iwaizumi and his friend challenged me and Bokuto to a volleyball game.” 

“Fuck Iwaizumi.” 

“Daichi.” 

“Uuuggghhh”

“I just put Shouyou down for a nap. You can sleep on the couch. Kei won’t make a peep. And I’ll owe you. I mean I already do but like I’ll actually be able to pay this one back.” Daichi lifts his head a bit, his brown hair sticking up in every direction. He narrows his eyes at Akaashi.

“When’s the last time you went on a date?” He asks. Akaashi blinks a few times. 

“A date? I don’t know. The night Shouyou was conceived probably.” He stares up at the ceiling of Daichi and Suga’s bedroom. It looks a lot like his own ceiling but there’s a single glow in the dark star stuck up there, he wonders where it came from. 

“Damn it… Fine.” Daichi sits up and runs his hand through his hair. “Go home and get ready. I’ll be over in a minute. I am really just going to sleep on your couch. If Shouyou burns down the apartment it's not my fault.” 

“I understand… Wait. This isn’t a date. I’m just playing volleyball with them.” Akaashi stands up. 

“No, sure it's not,” Daichi gives him a knowing look. Akaashi flips him off then goes back to his own apartment. They’re going to be playing volleyball but he thinks that he should probably bring a change of clothes. Because even though it's not a date they could end up going out to get something to eat. He puts his bag on the bed then goes to the closet to stare into it. 

He hears the front door as Daichi comes over and reminds himself to find a way to pay back the overworked cop. He changes into a pair of shorts and picks a random t-shirt out of his closet. He tosses it onto the bed and then tries to decide what clothes he’ll pack to change into afterward. 

\---

Bokuto stands outside the door to Akaashi’s apartment and takes a deep breath. He’s just wearing his practice clothes and he wonders if he should have waited to change. He shakes his head and takes one last deep breath then knocks on the door. There’s a pause and then the door swings open to reveal Daichi. Wearing pajama pants and a white tank top looking very sleep rumpled. Bokuto can’t do anything but blink at him.

“Oh, Bokuto-san” Daichi yawns and steps back holding the door open. “Come on in. Akaashi’s just getting his stuff together.” 

“Right. Okay,” Bokuto comes inside and slips his shoes off. Daichi shuffles over to the living room and falls over onto the couch. He pulls a blanket up over his face to block out the sun coming in through the large window. Bokuto looks around and spots Kei sitting on the floor with his tablet. He smiles and goes over to peek at what he’s watching. As expected, it's a volleyball tutorial. He pats Kei on the head gently and the little boy looks up at him and blinks a few times. The sunlight hitting his face and making his eyes shine gold.

“Oh Bokuto-san,” Akaashi’s voice comes from the hallway. Bokuto turns around and looks at him. Akaashi’s just wearing workout clothes, his glasses traded for contacts but he looks so good that Bokuto can’t help but stare. “You’re early.” 

“I um… yeah. It didn’t take me as long as I thought it would. You look good Akaashi.” He flashes a smile at the setter. Akaashi’s cheeks flush pink.

“Well… Should we get going then? I don’t want to keep Daichi up while Shouyou is sleeping.”

“Yeah, of course, let’s head out. Do you want me to carry that bag for you?” Bokuto offers.

“Huh? No, I can carry it.” Akaashi goes to the door and slips his shoes on. “Kei make sure you behave for Daichi while I’m gone. Tell your brother too if he wakes up before we’re back.” Kei nods his head and turns his gaze back to his tablet. Bokuto pats his head and then hurries over to the doorway to slip his own shoes back on. 

“We get to play volleyball together Akaashi,” He beams, tugging gently on the sleeve of Akaashi’s shirt. He smiles at him with a fond look in his eyes.

“Yes, Bokuto-san. Though I don’t know if I'll be much help against an Olympic level setter,” Akaashi grabs his keys and steps out of the apartment. He waits until Bokuto steps out then turns around and locks the door. 

“That um… That’s Sawamura-san, right? Iwaizumi’s partner?” Bokuto asks as they head to the elevator. 

“Mhmm yeah. It’s kind of last-minute so he was the only one I could think of to watch the kids. He’s not a heavy sleeper thankfully so he’ll wake right up if anything happens,” He leans against the wall and presses the elevator button. 

“That’s good… You guys seem close to him.”

“He’s a good guy… After I lost my wife I probably wouldn’t have survived if I hadn’t had help.” 

“Does he work tonight? Should I have you back at a certain time?” Bokuto gets onto the elevator with Akaashi. 

“No, it’s good. Suga will be home before Daichi has to go back to work.” Akaashi presses the button for the parking garage. 

“Who’s Suga?”

“Daichi’s husband. Suga’s just a nickname. He was Sugawara before he changed his name.” 

“Daichi’s married?” Bokuto perks up a bit.

“Yeah? Didn’t Iwaizumi tell you? Suga and Daichi have been together since high school.” Akaashi slips his hands into his pockets. Bokuto’s excitement is visible on his face, and Akaashi hadn’t really thought about the fact that Bokuto had only seen Daichi up to this point. He must have thought that Akaashi and Daichi had a different kind of relationship. 

“Iwaizumi just said that Daichi was with someone. I didn’t ask for details…” Bokuto smiles at Akaashi and grabs his bag from him then skips over to where his car is parked. Akaashi rolls his eyes and follows him, getting into the passenger seat. 

“Am I safe letting you drive?”

“Akaashi I’m a great driver!” Bokuto climbs in and buckles up. Akaashi puts his seatbelt on and gives it an experimental tug. 

“You failed your driver's test three times Bokuto-san,” Akaashi remembers sitting in his bed with Bokuto sprawled out, face buried in Akaashi’s shirt as he pouted about failing. 

“But then I took more driving classes and I passed.” Bokuto pulls out of the parking garage and heads towards the gym. Akaashi watches him closely as he drives, takes the chance to look over his face, and to make a note of all the ways he’s changed since they’d been apart. Bokuto keeps his focus on the road and both of his hands on the steering wheel. There’s a blush creeping up his neck “Akaashi… You’re gonna distract me if you keep staring…” 

“Sorry, Bokuto-san.” He turns his gaze out the window. “You said that Iwaizumi and Oikawa challenged you. What happens if you lose?” 

“We’re not gonna lose so it doesn’t matter,” Bokuto grins.

“Bokuto-san you seem to forget that I’m not in the best shape. You said that this Oikawa plays professionally in Argentina and Iwaizumi works out a ridiculous amount. You play professionally too. I only go jogging a couple of times a week. I’m not going to be able to keep up.” 

“If I’m playing with Akaashi then I’ll be able to do my best. They don’t stand a chance against my energy beam!”

“And if we lose?” 

“Uuhh then I have to give Iwa back his house til Oikawa goes home. Apparently, I’m a cock block.” 

“You’re staying with Iwaizumi?” 

“Yeah. Like you said… I have to go back to Osaka once practice resumes so I just stay in Iwa’s guest room when I’m in Tokyo,” Bokuto glances over quickly. 

“I see… well… If we lose today then it will be my fault,” Akaashi is probably going to regret this. “So you can stay at my apartment until Oikawa goes home.” The car swerves a bit. Akaashi grabs onto the door and shoots a glare at Bokuto.

“Sorry sorry,” Bokuto straightens out the car. 

“Don’t you dare try and throw the game. If you aren’t at 120 percent then I’ll make you sleep in Shouyou’s room.” He crosses his arms and looks at him sternly. Bokuto clears his throat. 

“Um… I’ll definitely give it my all. So… where do I sleep if we lose then?” 

“We’ll figure something out…” In the past, they only got a few nights together here and there when their parents had let them have sleepovers and they’d always had to be careful not to get caught. Akaashi had liked those rare nights though, having Bokuto sleeping beside him had felt right. But he told Bokuto that he only wanted to be friends. If he lets him into his bed then the line will definitely be crossed. 

\---

Oikawa is awful. Akaashi doesn’t really like the guy all that much. He’s got perfectly wavy hair and long slender legs. He walks like he’s a runway model or something. He clearly knows he’s gorgeous. Before they play he declares their team names to be Iwaoi and Bokuaka and even writes them on the scoreboard. On the volleyball court, he turns into some kind of monster. Akaashi isn’t used to professional level players. When he manages to receive the ball he has no way to control where it goes. Even Iwaizumi’s hits are ridiculous. Which makes sense when Akaashi thinks about the fact that he’s been competing with Oikawa his whole life. 

If it wasn’t for Bokuto’s skill they’d be getting destroyed. Team Iwaoi had taken the first set but Bokuto had gotten into the swing of things during the second and Akaashi had taken the win for Team Bokuaka with a setter dump. Unfortunately, Oikawa had taken that personally and had made it his mission to stop all of his attempts at scoring in the third set and it was another win for Iwaoi. Akaashi’s stamina was pretty much gone after that. They were supposed to play five sets but he’d sat down during their break after the third and he wasn’t sure if he could get up again. 

“Akaashi!” Bokuto flops onto the ground beside him, his head resting on Akaashi’s lap. Akaashi makes a face. 

“Bokuto-san you’re gonna get your sweat all over my shorts.” He picks up his towel from where it lies next to them and uses it to wipe the sweat from Bokuto’s face and neck.

“They’re already covered in your sweat Akaashi,” Bokuto whines and tries to roll away. Akaashi holds him still. 

“It’s different when it’s my own. Did you drink water?” Akaashi picks his water bottle and holds it to Bokuto’s lips. “Drink. You’re terrible at staying hydrated.” Bokuto pouts as he drinks the water. 

“Iwa-chan! Why don’t you baby me like that!?” Oikawa yells, pointing his finger at Bokuto and Akaashi. Iwaizumi makes a disgusted face.

“Because you’re a shitty person trashikawa” he throws his towel into Oikawa’s face. The brown-haired setter squawks indignantly and the two begin arguing loudly. 

“Are they okay?” Akaashi asks. Bokuto opens his eyes and looks at them. 

“Oh yeah, that’s normal… it’s like foreplay or something,” He shrugs.

“Gross.” Akaashi wipes a bit more sweat off Bokuto’s neck. “Why am I still having to do all this for you? Don’t you know how to take care of yourself by now?” 

“But you’re better at it Akaashi.”

“How do your teammates even deal with you?” Akaashi says his voice teasing. 

“Ugh, they make me do everything by myself! They’re the worst!” Bokuto pouts up at him. ‘You tired Akaashi?” 

“Yeah but it feels good, I haven’t worked out like this in a long time.” 

“Your legs are shaking. Do you think you can handle two more sets?” Bokuto sits up and puts a hand on Akaashi’s leg. “I don’t want you to wear yourself out. I can find somewhere else to stay til Oikawa leaves.” 

“That Oikawa guy is an annoying prick,” Akaashi pushes himself to his feet. “We’ve got to win the next two. I told you that if you throw the match then you’ll have to sleep with Shou. he’s got a pretty strong kick even when he’s sleeping so watch out for that.”

“We’re gonna win!” Bokuto jumps up in the air cheering. 

“No way in hell!” Oikawa and Iwaizumi yell at the same time. Akaashi stretches a bit. He’s exhausted, but he’s not ready to finish the game. 

“Let’s do this Bokuto-san.” 


	14. Chapter 14

They get back to the apartment much later than Akaashi had anticipated. They had managed to take one more set from Iwaizumi and Oikawa but ultimately they lost. They’d all known it was coming. Akaashi was too unaccustomed to playing five full sets and his stamina wasn’t enough. They had to forfeit when his legs gave out. 

“Do you have your keys Akaashi?” Bokuto asks. Akaashi was on Bokuto’s back, he’d nearly fallen when they got out of the car and Bokuto had insisted on carrying him. Akaashi pulls his keys out of his pocket and leans over Bokuto’s shoulder to unlock the door. 

“Kids are probably sleeping by now so we have to keep it quiet.” Akaashi reminds him. 

“Stealth mode. Got it.” Bokuto slips into the apartment and closes the door quietly. He kicks his shoes off and then moves further inside. 

“Well well well look what the cat dragged in. Or should I say jackal?” Suga snickers at his own joke. He’s sitting on the couch with a cup of tea in his hand. 

“Hey, Suga. You can put me down now Bokuto-san.” Akaashi pats his shoulder. Bokuto sets him down carefully, keeping a hold of him until he’s sure he’s not going to fall. Akaashi nods at him then moves to the couch and collapses onto it with his head on Suga’s lap. “That’s it. Now I can die.” 

“No thank you,” Suga pushes him off. “ You’re gonna squish the papers I'm grading.” 

“I thought you were the nice one Suga.” Akaashi sighs. “You and Daichi are both actually devils.” 

“Sooo Bokuto-san was it? Did you and Akaashi have fun? Did you win?” Suga leans forward to get a better look at Bokuto. 

“No we lost.” Bokuto pouts.

“That damn cocky bastard.” Akaashi sits up and holds his hand out to Bokuto. “Help me up. I’m going to soak in the bath. I’m so going to regret this tomorrow.” Bokuto smiles and takes his hand to pull him back to his feet. 

“We didn’t get to go out and eat after the game. Do you want me to order something?” Bokuto asks. 

“Sure, thanks Bokuto-san,” Akaashi goes to the bathroom and sits on the edge of the tub while he watches it fill. He’d offered to let Bokuto stay and he wasn’t going to take it back now but spending five days with Bokuto was going to really test his resolve. 

\---

Bokuto sits down in the living room and takes his phone out to look at delivery options in the area. Akaashi didn’t ask for anything specific but unless his tastes have drastically changed in the last few years Bokuto still knows what to get him. 

“Do you want anything um… Is it okay if I call you Suga too?” Bokuto looks over at the silver-haired man. 

“Suga's fine and no that’s alright I’m going to get home now that you guys are back.” Suga packs up his grading and stands up. “Are you going to spend the night here?” 

“Oh um… yeah.” Bokuto smiles. “We lost so I have to give Iwaizumi and Oikawa some privacy. Akaashi said I could stay here.” 

“That was nice of him. I’m sure you guys will have fun,” Suga heads for the door. 

“Hey, Suga?” Bokuto calls after him. Suga stops and looks back over his shoulder. “Do you think I have a chance?” 

“That’s top-secret intel Bokuto-san. You’ll have to earn it. But I will tell you that Akaashi doesn’t have a guest futon. If you need one I live just across the hall. But… I don’t think you will. Nighty night” Suga’s smile is devious as he skips out of the apartment. 

Bokuto smiles down at his phone as he places their order. He waits for it to arrive and then sets it all on the table before he goes to find the bathroom. He knocks on the door quietly.

“Akaashi,” He calls through the door. 

“Yes, Bokuto-san?”

“Are you drowning or sleeping?”

“I’m fine, I'm getting out in a moment… Oh but I forgot my towel. Can you grab it out of my bedroom for me?”

“Yeah no problem,” Bokuto looks around then goes to the end of the hall where he suspects Akaashi’s bedroom is. He peeks in to make sure he’s right then enters the room. He spots the towel right away and goes over to pick it up. Something on the bed catches his attention. He turns to look at it more closely and sees a spot of black against the white sheets. For a moment he thinks that he should just grab the towel and go but his curiosity gets the better of him and he goes to the bed and pulls the black object out from under the pillow. 

His face flushes red when he recognizes his own jersey. He’d added it to the package on a whim, he’d almost expected Akaashi to get rid of it. Finding it under the former setters pillow though, he hadn’t expected that at all. Bokuto can’t fight the smile on his face. He hides the jersey back on the bed and goes to bring the towel to Akaashi. 

\---

Akaashi feels bad but he’s too tired to be a good conversationalist. They sit together at the dining table as they eat their food. Bokuto talks cheerfully but he’s careful to keep his voice low to avoid disturbing the kids. 

“Hey Akaashi?” he asks. 

“Hmm?” he raises his eyes from his food. Bokuto had managed to order him some of his favorites. 

“Oh um… I’m gonna take a shower after we eat but uh… I know you’re exhausted so I thought we should figure out where I’m gonna sleep so you don’t have to wait up for me.” 

“Right um… sorry I should have thought of that better. I don’t have a futon… um… there’s the couch or oh I can just move Kei to my bed. He’s got a twin bed so you can sleep there comfortably.” 

“Oh don’t move him. We shouldn’t risk waking him up. I’ll sleep on the couch tonight. Tomorrow I’ll ask him if he’s okay with it.” Bokuto takes a big bite of his food. The couch will be too small for him but he can manage for a night. 

“That’s… if it’s just for one….” Akaashi clears his throat and stares down at the food. “It’s just one night so… you can sleep in my bed.” 

“W… with you?” Bokuto asks quietly. Akaashi nods. Bokuto’s lips twitch as he fights a smile. “Okay. I can live with that for a night.” 

“Just make sure you shower properly. You smell.” Akaashi wrinkles his nose. Bokuto can’t help but laugh. Akaashi kicks his leg under the table. “Quiet don’t wake Shou, he’ll be impossible if he sees you.” Bokuto covers his mouth to hold in his laugh. 

“Sorry, Akaashi. I’ll go take my shower.” Bokuto eats the last few bites of his food then gets up. Akaashi nods.

“I put a clean towel in there for you.” 

“Thanks.” Bokuto grabs his bag from the doorway then goes to take his shower. Akaashi drops his head onto the table and curses himself. He didn’t have to offer his bed. He didn’t have to offer his apartment either. He was really going to get himself in trouble.

He finishes his own food and cleans up before he goes back to the bedroom. He slips the jersey out from under his pillow and holds it close to his face for a moment before folding it up and hiding it in the back of his dresser. He plugs his phone in then puts his glasses on the nightstand and plops down onto the bed. He’s exhausted but he’s not sure that he’s going to be able to sleep.

“Akaashi?” Bokuto’s voice comes from the doorway. 

“Mm, I’m awake still.” 

“Is it okay? I really can sleep on the couch.” 

“Just come to bed Bokuto. I’m tired.” Bokuto turns off the light as he comes into the room and lays down. Akaashi turns his back to him and tries not to think about it too hard.

There’s a tense sort of aura in the room. Both men try their best to keep to their sides of the bed. Akaashi knows he needs to sleep but he can’t stop thinking about Bokuto right beside him, he wants to be closer. He craves Bokuto’s touch like a drug. He listens as Bokuto’s breathing slows. 

He can’t help it. He turns onto his other side and watches Bokuto sleep. He looks different while he’s sleeping. All that energy drains away and he just looks peaceful. Akaashi shifts closer and touches Bokuto’s arm. Bokuto’s lip twitches a bit and he turns onto his side, wrapping his arm around Akaashi’s waist. 

“You can just ask,” he mumbles. 

“I just…” 

“I know.” Bokuto tugs him closer. Akaashi melts into his hold. It doesn’t take him long at all to fall asleep tucked against the strong chest. 

\---

Shouyou wakes up early in the morning. He jumps out of bed and runs down the hallway to his father's room. He’s about to burst through the door when his shirt is snagged and he’s pulled backward. He yelps and looks back to find his brother glaring down at him with a finger to his lips. Shouyou blinks a few times and then nods his head. 

“Papa sleepy?” He asks. Kei lets go of his shirt and push open the door to Akaashi’s bedroom quietly. Shouyou sticks his head into the room. The blanket is pulled all the way up to the pillows and all that’s visible is a head with white and black hair. Shouyou’s eyes widen. 

“Boku-san,” Shouyou whispers. Kei nods his head. “Why is Boku-san in papa’s bed?” he asks with his head tilted to the side. Kei looks at the bed and purses his lips and thinks about it then shrugs. 

“I’ll ask,” Shouyou slips into the room and climbs up onto the bed. Kei follows and stands on the side of it. He watches as Shouyou pulls down the blanket to reveal both Bokuto and their father fast asleep huddled together. Shouyou and Akaashi make eye contact with each other. Neither one is sure what to make of the sight. They know that Daichi and Suga both sleep in the same bed but they’ve never seen their dad have a sleepover with someone else. Shouyou reaches over his father and grabs onto Bokuto’s face, pulling on his cheek. 

“Whassat?” Bokuto grumbles as he opens his eyes. Shouyou leans his face closer. 

“Boku-san” Shouyou whispers. 

“Oh hi, Shouyou.” Bokuto yawns and looks down at Akaashi. He smiles a bit then sits up being careful not to jostle the sleeping man. “Let’s not wake your papa up. He worked hard.” Shouyou narrows his eyes a bit but nods his head and holds out his arms. Bokuto picks him up and gets out of bed. He smiles when he notices Kei and holds his free hand out to the boy. Kei eyes him critically before accepting his hand and following him out of the room. 

Bokuto is glad that he spent as much time as he did looking after Tetsu when he was younger. He’s able to help both the boys get ready for the day and makes them eggs and toast for breakfast. Kei is content to just sit and play quietly but it’s clear that Shouyou is full of energy and looking for any way to burn it. After the third time he nearly knocks over a piece of furniture Bokuto figures the best thing to do is to get him out of the house to wear him out. 

Akaashi is still sound asleep so Bokuto leaves a note next to his glasses telling him where they went and then looks up the closest park on his phone. There’s one just down the road and he figures the boys probably already know the way. He grabs a volleyball and heads out with them. 

\---

Akaashi wakes up with the sun on his face and a silent apartment. His first thought is to panic about oversleeping but then he remembers that it's the weekend and they don’t have anywhere to be today. Then he realizes that the apartment is quiet and this late in the morning both kids are usually awake. He sits up and groans as he realizes how sore his whole body is from the workout the day before. He also remembers that he’d fallen asleep with Bokuto sleeping next to him. A little less worried than he was before he goes to grab his glasses and finds a sticky note stuck to them. He puts them on and reads the note. 

**Good morning Akaashi!!! You’re still dead asleep and the kiddos are getting restless so we’re gonna go play volleyball at the park. Don’t worry we’ll hold hands and look both ways when we cross any streets. Kids had eggs and toast for breakfast. There’s some extra in the fridge for you to heat up. Give me a call if you need anything!!**

**-Bokuto**

He feels a little bit nervous. It’s not that he doesn’t trust Bokuto but the older man has never really spent an extended amount of time with both kids around. Not while Shouyou was awake at least. He’s sure that he’s capable of caring for the two children but Akaashi tends to feel a little uncomfortable whenever they’re away from him in the first place. He grabs his phone off its charger and calls Bokuto as he makes his way to the kitchen to find the promised food. 

“Good morning Akaashi!” Bokuto sings as his way of greeting. 

“Morning Bokuto-san. Are the kids doing okay?” He opens the fridge and finds the leftover eggs right in front. He stifles a yawn as he takes it out.

“Oh yeah! We’re doing great. They’re practicing their passes. Sorry, we went out without telling you, I knew you’d be worn out from last night and I wanted to let you sleep in. Do you want us to come back?” 

“No that’s… You can stay out as long as you want. I trust you to look after them… I just get a little antsy when they're away from me. They can be a handful sometimes and…” 

“Akaashi you don’t have to explain yourself. They’re your kids, you can set whatever rules and boundaries you want.” 

“Thank you Bokuto-san… I think that I’ll come join you at the park if you’re still there when I’m done eating.” 

“Sounds good Akaashi!” Akaashi ends the call with him and sits down at the table to eat his breakfast. The food is surprisingly good. Bokuto used to be a fire hazard any time he got near a kitchen. But the food was good and the kitchen was spotless. Akaashi had gotten to sleep in for the first time in years. He took his time eating and then getting dressed. His whole body protested his movements and he knew that if he just laid down and left things to Bokuto everything would be fine. But he also wanted to spend as much time as he could with the older man. He’d go back to Iwaizumi’s house when Oikawa left and then eventually he’ll have to go to Osaka with his team. 

Once he’s dressed he packs some snacks and drinks in a bag and heads down the street to get to the park. It’s a nice day out, hot but not too humid. Akaashi thinks they should go for ice cream after they’re done playing. The sound of a child crying reaches his ears and he freezes for just a moment before recognizing it as Shouyou’s voice. He runs the rest of the way to the park. 

He sees the familiar head of spiky white and black hair right away. He’s sitting on the ground with Shouyou crying on his lap. A scrape on the toddler's knee. Bokuto has a bandaid in its wrapper held between his lips as he holds Shouyou’s leg still with one hand while he cleans the scrape with the other. Akaashi stops in front of them, out of breath. 

“What happened?” He asks, kneeling in front of them. Shouyou stares up at his father, brown eyes watering. Bokuto takes the bandaid out of his mouth and puts it over the scrape. Kei tugs on Akaashi’s sleeve. 

“ _ Shouyou tried to climb the monkey bars after Bokuto told him to wait,”  _ Kei signs, giving his little brother a scolding look. 

“Sorry, Akaashi I wasn’t quite fast enough to catch him,” Bokuto rubs the back of his neck looking guilty. 

“It’s not your fault Bokuto-san… Shouyou knows better.” Shouyou jumps up from Bokuto’s lap and takes off when he sees one of his friends. 

“Yeah but… I could have caught him.” Bokuto looks up at Akaashi, meeting his gaze with an uncharacteristically serious look in his eyes. “I promise I’ll be faster next time.”

“It’s okay Bokuto-san,” Akaashi holds his hand out. “Shouyou goes through a whole box of bandaids in a month. I’m actually kind of impressed you thought to bring some with you.” Bokuto takes Akaashi’s hand and gets to his feet.

“Yeah… I tend to hurt myself a lot so I always have some.” Bokuto laughs, his smile wide once again. Akaashi smiles. Their hands are still clasped together.


	15. Chapter 15

They fell into a sort of routine while Bokuto stayed with them. It’s like he’d always been there. They didn’t ask Kei to give up his bed, nor did they borrow the futon from the Sawamura's. On Monday Akaashi added Bokuto’s name to the pickup lists at both the daycare and the elementary school. He picked up Kei on Tuesday and brought him to Volleyball practice so that Akaashi didn’t have to leave early. On Wednesday he picked Shouyou up from daycare and entertained him while Akaashi and Kei were at therapy. 

Thursday was supposed to be Bokuto’s last night staying with them. Oikawa would be going back to Argentina the next morning and it’d be safe for him to return to Iwaizumi’s. It was night time already, both kids tucked into bed. Akaashi and Bokuto sit on the couch in the living room, the only light comes from the movie playing on the tv. Akaashi wasn’t ready for him to go.

“Hey… Bokuto-san?” He’s sitting sideways, his legs up on the couch with his feet tucked under Bokuto’s thigh. Bokuto turns his head to look at him.

“Yeah?” 

“When do you go back to Osaka?” He lifts his legs to rest them over Bokuto’s lap. He wants to touch him more. Bokuto shifts a bit closer and rests his hands on Akaashi’s legs. 

“The beginning of next month,” He purses his lips in a pout. “Coach always works us to the bone when we come off a break.” 

“I’m sure you’ll survive,” Akaashi tugs on his sleeve. Bokuto goes with him, laying his head on Akaashi’s chest and wrapping his arms around his slender waist. Akaashi hugs him, sliding his fingers through hair still damp from the shower. Bokuto hums at the touch. 

“Akaashi, do you think that I could maybe… stay here until it's time to go back?” 

“You want to stay? Don’t you miss peace and quiet?” Akaashi doesn’t want him to go. 

“Nuh-uh, I like Iwaizumi but I like being here with you and the kids more.” Bokuto nuzzles his face against the soft fabric of Akaashi’s shirt and looks up at him through his bangs. Akaashi feels hypnotized by that golden gaze. He cups Bokuto’s face in his hand and strokes his thumb along his cheek. 

“I like you being here too…” He whispers. Bokuto's lips curl up in a soft smile and he turns his head to press a kiss to Akaashi’s palm. “You can stay. As long as you want.”

“Yay!” Bokuto cheers. Akaashi covers his mouth. They stare at each other with wide eyes for a moment before the sound of Shouyou’s crying comes from the hallway. Akaashi sighs.

“You woke him up, you get to read the damn meat bun book.” He shoves Bokuto playfully towards the edge of the couch. 

“I’m going to burn that damn book,” Bokuto grumbles as he gets to his feet and heads to the toddler's bedroom. 

“Welcome to my world,” Akaashi stretches out on the couch and covers his own mouth, touching his lips to his palm before he turns his attention back to the tv. He finds himself dozing a bit so he rolls off the couch and goes to see how Bokuto is handling things. He almost laughs at the sight that greets him. 

Bokuto sits on the floor with his back against Shouyou’s bed. He’s got the book open on his lap, Shouyou has fallen back asleep but he’s leaning off the bed with his arms curled around Bokuto’s neck and his head on his shoulder. Akaashi covers his mouth to hold back his laughter. 

“Akaashi help,” Bokuto whispers, reaching towards him. Akaashi holds up a finger and slips his phone out of his pocket. He snaps a picture of them before coming into the room and kneeling in front of Bokuto. 

“Not sure he can be moved without waking up. You might be stuck there for the night.” Akaashi whispers. Bokuto looks up at him with big eyes. “Fine, I’ll help. Just stay still.” Akaashi puts his hand on Bokuto’s chest and leans forward, his cheek brushes against the other man as he presses a kiss to his son’s forehead. He brings one hand up to card through Shouyou’s curls then gently releases his grip on Bokuto’s neck and lowers him back onto the bed. Bokuto’s hands rest on his hips and hold him steady. Akaashi drops his hands to Bokuto’s shoulders and watches Shouyou closely to make sure he doesn’t wake up. 

“Akaashi?” Bokuto whispers. Akaashi looks down at Bokuto and feels his cheeks flush red. Bokuto’s face is lit by the moonlight, his golden eyes are filled with emotion, Akaashi has seen that look in his eyes before. Hidden away in the storage room after a late-night practice. That time he’d pulled Bokuto in, pressed their lips together. He could do that again, but he sees Bokuto on the court. His eyes focused, that golden light surrounding him. Akaashi can’t take that from him. He pushes Bokuto’s bangs back and presses a kiss to his forehead before getting to his feet and leaving the room. Bokuto doesn’t follow him until he’s already in bed with his eyes closed. 

“Sorry Akaashi,” Bokuto whispers in the darkroom as he gets into the bed. Akaashi closes the distance between them. Bokuto hesitates for just a moment before he pulls Akaashi in and tucks him against his chest. “I can’t keep it in sometimes.”

“I understand…” he really does. Bokuto’s fingers slide through his curls, massaging his scalp. Akaashi lets it lull him to sleep. 

\---

“Papa!” Shouyou yells, standing on the bed. He jumps up and down until he hits Bokuto’s leg and falls down between the two men. 

“So loud Shou,” Akaashi complains. “Why are you yelling?” Shouyou climbs onto Bokuto and pulls at his cheeks.

“Papa! Boku! Kei lost his tooth! I think he ate it!” the toddler yells directly into Bokuto’s ear. 

“Oh my gosh,” Bokuto lifts Shouyou up into the air. “That hurts my ears, Shou,” 

“Did you wake Kei up again?” Akaashi asks. 

“Noooo he was awake! He’s looking for his tooth.” Shouyou rolls his eyes. 

“You or me?” Bokuto asks, looking at Akaashi. 

“You look for the tooth, I'll handle breakfast? You’ve got the better eyesight” Akaashi sits up and takes Shouyou.

“I want pancakes!” Bokuto hops out of the bed and stretches. 

“Pancakes!” Shouyou yells in agreement. 

“It’s a weekday… we don’t have time for pancakes today.” Akaashi watches Bokuto for a moment then carries Shouyou out to the kitchen. Bokuto goes to Kei’s room.

“Hey, hey, hey Kei!” he kneels down next to the ruffled child where he digs around under his bed. Kei turns to him and opens his mouth, pointing at the gap where his tooth used to be.

“Whoa! It’s really gone. Do you think it fell under the bed?” Kei shrugs his eyes starting to water. Bokuto pulls him out from under the bed and hugs him. “What’s wrong Kei?”

“ _ In my stomach?”  _ Kei signs with a worried look on his face. 

“Oh. Did it come out while you were sleeping?” Bokuto tilts Kei’s head back and to get a better look at the gap. He wonders if he can tell how long the tooth has been gone. Kei shrugs his shoulders. “Okay well… you know what. It doesn’t matter if we don’t have the actual tooth or not. It’s probably got hidden by your dinosaur army. But it’s in your room still and that’s what’s important.” 

“ _ Why?”  _ Kei signs.

Bokuto grins at him. “We’ll make it a game for the tooth fairy! Like a treasure hunt!” Kei’s eyes widen and he tugs on Bokuto’s shirt. “We’ll leave a note for the tooth fairy under your pillow and tell her that we hid the tooth somewhere in the room. If she finds the tooth then we’ll leave another treat for her tomorrow night as well. It’ll totally work. You’ll even still get your payment for the tooth.” Kei nods his head vigorously, his excitement visible on his face. Bokuto stands up and scoops Kei into his arms.

“Let’s eat whatever yummy breakfast your papa is cooking and then after volleyball practice tonight we can make the note for the tooth fairy. Think about how you want it to look at school okay,” Bokuto carries him to the dining room and sets him down in his normal chair. Kei stares up at him with a strange look on his face. Bokuto smiles and ruffles the blonde curls. 

“ _ Papa?”  _ Kei signs. 

“Your papa’s in the kitchen. I’ll go see if he needs help.” Bokuto sneaks a kiss onto the boy's head then goes into the kitchen. Kei stares at his hands with his brow furrowed

“Tooth crisis averted?” Akaashi asks. He stands at the stove with his apron on. Shouyou is pulling on the strings. Bokuto gets himself a cup of coffee and then leans on the counter. 

“We’re gonna turn it into a treasure hunt for the tooth fairy. Shou-chan you’re gonna get papa trapped in his apron again. He’ll have to go to work like that.” He leans down and frees the strings from the toddler's hands. “Go wash your hands before breakfast and I’ll make you and Kei chocolate milk.” 

“Choco milk!” Shouyou runs from the kitchen.

“No running in the house!” Akaashi and Bokuto call at the same time. They meet each other's gazes and then laugh. Bokuto raises his mug and goes to take a sip, but Akaashi stops him before he can with a hand on his wrist. Bokuto raises an eyebrow.

“Sugar’s behind you,” Akaashi explains as he turns back to the stove.

“Oh yeah, I must be tired.” He turns and puts a liberal amount of sugar into his coffee. 

“Thanks for helping Kei…” 

“It’s no problem Akaashi. It was a simple solution. I’ll look for the tooth while you’re all out. Don’t want him coming across it later on.” Bokuto gets the dishes out of the cabinet and sets them down so Akaashi can put the food on them. 

“Can you get my apron for me? I think Shouyou already knotted it.” Bokuto nods and puts his coffee down then moves behind Akaashi. He works on getting the knot undone while Akaashi finishes the food. He lets his fingers brush against the younger man’s back more than really necessary but neither of them says anything about it. When the string is loose he moves away to make the two promised cups of chocolate milk. 

Akaashi tries not to think about how domestic it all feels. How much he’d like every morning to be like this. 

\---

A few days later Akaashi sits at the kitchen table with his work spread out in front of him. It’s late in the evening and he’s home alone. He hasn’t been at home alone in years. It’s nice to be able to just sit and focus on his work but he also feels kind of lonely. A local volleyball team was having a practice match and Bokuto had taken Shouyou and Kei to watch the game. He was feeling a little nervous about it but Bokuto had been sending him texts and pictures all through the night. 

His phone vibrates with another text and he opens it up. Someone must have taken it for them. They’re in front of a cut out of Vabo-chan. Bokuto has Shouyou on his shoulders and they’ve both got their fists raised in the air and huge smiles on their faces. Kei stands beside Bokuto with his headphones on and his hand gripping Bokuto’s shirt but he looks happy. Akaashi had been worried that the crowds would be too much for him. 

He saves the picture to his phone and sets it as his background, he already has the picture of Shouyou and Bokuto as his lock screen. The look of panic on Bokuto’s face made him laugh every time he saw it. He knows that the pictures are probably a sign that he’s too far gone already but he can’t really bring himself to care too much. Everything has been so good since Bokuto came to stay with them. The kids seem to love having him around. Shouyou has been copying a lot of Bokuto’s mannerisms and Akaashi has even caught Kei cuddling on Bokuto’s lap while they watched videos on the tablet. It’s going to be hard when he leaves. 

Akaashi is just about done with his work when there’s a weird sounding knock on the apartment door. He gets up and goes to answer it and is surprised to find Bokuto standing there with both of the kids half asleep in his arms. Akaashi is kind of impressed that he’s able to hold them both. He backs up and holds the door open as Bokuto comes inside. 

“I’ll take the little one,” He lifts Shouyou from Bokuto’s arms and cradles him close. Bokuto smiles at him as he slips his shoes off then uses his free hand to get Kei’s shoes as well. 

“They both passed out in the car on the way home,” Bokuto explains. 

“Probably a lot of excitement for them.” Akaashi heads back into the apartment. 

“Pajamas and brushed teeth then bed?” Bokuto asks. 

“It’s a little early still but yeah probably for the best.” The two men work together to get tired children into bed. Kei is a bit more alert and just needs a bit of help but Shouyou is almost completely out. Bokuto brushes his teeth for him while Akaashi tucks Kei into bed. The toddler whines a bit and tries to get away. 

“Sorry Shou, we’re almost done.” Bokuto holds a glass to his lips for him to rinse his mouth. Shouyou rinses just a bit before spitting into the sink. He holds his arms out to Bokuto.

“Up” he demands with a whine. Bokuto lifts him up and tucks him against his shoulder. 

“I’ve got you, baby boy.” He pats the little back as he heads to Shouyou’s bedroom. He manages to get Shouyou into pajamas and tucked into bed without too much fuss. Shouyou pulls the meat bun book from under his pillow and hands it to Bokuto before snuggling into his pillows. “Oh the meat bun book… of course.” Bokuto sits on the floor with resignation and reads the book. He’s pretty sure that Shouyou falls asleep two pages in but he decides to finish the book just in case. He lifts his head when he’s done and is surprised to find Akaashi leaning in the doorway watching him. 

“They’re both out,” Akaashi whispers. Bokuto puts the book on the nightstand and stands up. He makes his way over to the door. Akaashi looks up at him. Bokuto hasn’t seen him since this morning and he’s already missed him. He moves into the hallway and waits for Akaashi to close the bedroom door before he pulls the dark-haired man into his arms in a tight hug. Akaashi leans into him.

“Thank you for taking them today Bokuto-san.”

“What have I told you about thanking me? I enjoyed it just as much as the kids did.” he brushes a kiss against black curls. 

“Are you tired?” Akaashi tilts his head back to look up at him. 

“No, not really. Did you get your work done? We can watch a movie,” Bokuto offers. Akaashi nods.

“I bought ice cream. I was gonna share it with the kids but they won’t miss it if they don’t know.” 

“You pick a movie and I’ll get the ice cream.” Bokuto lets go of Akaashi and goes to the kitchen. Akaashi goes to the living room and sits with his legs stretched across the couch. It’s easy finding a movie that he knows they both like, he chooses one they’d seen in theaters together years ago. Bokuto comes into the living room with the tub of ice cream in one hand and two spoons in the other. He doesn’t hesitate at all to sit himself between Akaashi’s long legs and lean back against his chest. Akaashi starts the movie then takes one of the spoons. 

“Ah, I remember this one!” Bokuto opens the ice cream and tosses the lid onto the coffee table. They stay that way for a while, focused on the tv and sharing the tub of ice cream. When it's finished Bokuto rolls onto his stomach and reaches across to set it on the coffee table. He wraps his arms around Akaashi’s waist and rests his head on his chest. Akaashi hugs him and keeps his focus on the tv. 

“Hey Bokuto?” Akaashi brings a hand up and starts to play with Bokuto’s spiked hair.

“Hmm?” 

“Thank you really,” He covers Bokuto’s mouth to keep him from protesting. “Let me talk first. I… I want to thank you for being here these last couple of weeks. Daichi and Suga have been helping me since… but they’re not here all the time you know? It’s different… Knowing there’s someone that’s here to help whenever I need it. Being able to sleep in and not having to rush to get home. So thank you.” 

“Keiji… do you think that you could maybe tell me about what happened now?” Akaashi takes a deep breath. He plays with Bokuto’s hair for a moment with a distant look in his eyes.

“I wasn’t… I wasn’t here. I traveled a lot. Runa, my wife, was seven months pregnant. She was home alone with Kei when something went wrong with the pregnancy. He was so young but… he managed to call emergency services. They weren’t fast enough though and Runa ended up giving birth in the kitchen of our house… she lost a lot of blood and Shouyou wasn’t breathing at first.” 

“When the paramedics got there they were in such a rush to rescue Runa and Shouyou that they forgot about Kei. Runa didn’t make it to the hospital. I was in Kyoto and the hospital called me. I rushed back but it had been hours. They’d gotten Shouyou breathing and he was in an incubator with all these tubes. I don’t know how long Kei was alone before I realized… That’s how I met Daichi. He’d been bit by a dog. He went to the house and he found Kei for me. Him and Suga basically adopted us at that point. But um… That was the last day Kei spoke. God the look on his face…” Akaashi brings his hands up to wipe at his eyes. “He hasn’t been the same since. He used to smile so much and he was outgoing.” 

Bokuto sits up and pulls Akaashi to his chest for a proper hug. Akaashi returns it and presses his face against his neck. He’s always suppressing his emotions, following a strict rule of things not to think about. Bokuto stands from the couch, lifting Akaashi up as well. The younger man startles a bit at the sudden movement and wraps his legs around Bokuto’s waist. Bokuto carries him back to the bedroom and lays down on the bed with him, wrapping them both in the blankets. He holds Akaashi’s face in his hand and kisses his tears away. 

“Kotaro…” Akaashi whispers. He wraps his hand around Bokuto’s neck and presses their foreheads together. 

“I’m here. I’ve got you Keiji. You don’t have to hold back. You can take whatever you need from me.” 

“You. I just need you Kotaro,” he whispers. 

“Fuck Keiji you’re gonna be the death of me,” Bokuto tilts his head and captures Akaashi’s lips in a searing desperate kiss. 

There’s a gentle knock on the bedroom door and they both freeze. Bokuto groans and drops onto his back on his side of the bed. Akaashi covers his mouth to stifle his laugh.

“The joys of parenthood,” He whispers, louder he calls out “It’s open Kei.” The blonde-haired boy opens the door and comes into the room to stand at the foot of the bed, a stuffed dinosaur that Akaashi doesn’t recognize in his arms. 

“Bad dream?” Bokuto asks. Kei nods his head then climbs up onto the bed. Akaashi and Bokuto share a look. 

“You wanna sleep here?” Kei nods again and crawls into the small space between the two men. He lays down and rests his head on Akaashi’s shoulder. Akaashi wraps his arm around him and tries to catch his breath. 

“I’m gonna go take a quick shower,” Bokuto whispers. 

“We’ll be here,” Akaashi says, mouthing a silent apology. Bokuto just flashes a smile and ruffles Kei’s curls gently before getting out of the bed and going to shower. He keeps the water of the shower cold to calm himself down. When he returns to the room and finds Akaashi and Kei curled together asleep he finds that he doesn’t really care at all. He lays back down and smiles, even more, when Kei reaches out to hold onto him as well


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took a break from writing to read a fic and I ended up on in another life and now I'm dead... So here's another chapter. 
> 
> I have one of those [Tumblr](https://heyitstaytay21.tumblr.com/) things all the kids are using these days. I don't know what the hell I'm doing with it but let's be friends.

Iwaizumi manages to arrange a practice game with another elementary volleyball club. It's obviously a very big deal to the kid. In the week leading up to the game Kei and Tetsu drag Bokuto to the park for extra practice whenever they can. Iwaizumi wants to give all the kids a chance to play in the game so they come up with a series of simple hand gestures to use instead of talking so Kei isn’t at a disadvantage. 

On game day Bokuto takes Kei to the gym early for warm-ups with the other kids. Akaashi goes at game times with Daichi, Suga, and Shouyou. There are seats saved for them in the front row of the bleachers. Shouyou is practically vibrating with excitement the whole time. He clutches his Vabo-chan toy in his hands and he climbs back and forth across the three men's laps. Akaashi catches Kei’s eyes from where he stands on the side of the court. He gives him a wave and Kei smiles and waves back. 

“He looks so excited. Daichi make sure and take pictures,” Akaashi hits the cop's arm excitedly. 

“Ow Akaashi. I brought the camera. Don’t hit me. Suga trade seats with me?” Daichi asks. Suga has Shouyou at the moment.

“No thank you, excited Akaashi hits a lot. I chose this seat for a reason.” Suga smiles lovingly at his husband. 

“I’ve been betrayed,” Daichi sighs. 

“Boku! Boku!” Shouyou stands on Suga’s lap and waves his vabo-chan in the air. Suga holds onto him to make sure he doesn’t fall. Bokuto looks over at them and smiles then jogs across the gym. 

“Shou-chan!” He pokes his nose. “Did you come to see your big brother?”

“Kei is gonna be all wham! And woosh!” Shouyou reaches for him. 

“He is.” Bokuto lifts him up and holds him on his hip. “Ah, I have an idea. Akaashi do you think Shouyou can join me on the bench?” Shouyou’s jaw drops and his eyes widen. 

“Oh, if you think it’ll be okay then I don’t mind.” Bokuto and Shouyou both cheer and high five each other. Akaashi can’t help but smile at them. “Give Kei a kiss for me. Tell him I said good luck.” 

“Sir yes sir.” Bokuto gives him a salute then jogs back over to the kids. Akaashi watches as he says something to Kei. The little blonde wrinkles his face and tries to escape but Bokuto pulls him close and presses a kiss to his cheek. He laughs as Kei tries to wipe it off. 

“Kei has really opened up to Bokuto,” Daichi picks up the vabo-chan from where it had fallen to the ground. 

“Both boys are obsessed with him honestly.” Akaashi takes a drink of his water. 

“How are they going to handle it when he goes back to Osaka?” Suga asks. Akaashi flinches at that. 

“Probably about as well as I’m going to…” He sighs. “I totally overestimated my self-control.” Suga grins and stands up, he slides Daichi down the bench and then takes a seat in his spot. 

“Akaashi Keiji tell me all the details.” He demands.

“There are no details.” Akaashi rolls his eyes. “We kissed, once. It was dumb too. I was crying and all emotional.”

“Why were you crying?” 

“I told him about Runa and Kei. You know I get all emotional. It’s whatever.” 

“Damn you are serious about him.” Suga looks across the court. Bokuto is sitting on the bench bouncing Shouyou on his lap while. Iwaizumi is putting all the kids into their positions. Kei is on the court already looking a bit nervous. 

“Go Kei! You got this!” Suga cheers. Kei’s cheeks flush red and he hunches his shoulders. Suga keeps cheering and Shouyou joins in. 

The games are quick, all the kids trying their best. Kei gets to play quite a bit and he gets a really excited look on his face whenever he manages to block the ball. Bokuto and Ushijima let Iwaizumi do most of the game time coaching, just offering a few words of advice here and there during time outs. It’s casual and fun. When Kei gets worn out he leans on Bokuto’s legs instead of sitting on the ground with the other kids. It gives Akaashi that warm fuzzy feeling again. Bokuto pulls Kei onto his lap and makes him drink some water. Shouyou hangs on Bokuto’s shoulder and talks animatedly to his brother. Kei doesn’t even look that annoyed with his brother and Akaashi is so proud of him. 

“Get a picture of that Daichi. Kei doesn’t look like he wants to squish Shouyou anymore.” Suga hits his husband's arm. 

“I thought Akaashi was the excited hitter,” Daichi grumbles. He takes the pictures of course. 

“He’s too busy being love struck. I mean who wouldn’t be when someone is that good with their kids,” Suga hugs Daichi’s arm and rests his head on his shoulder. 

“Ah! Sawamura-sensei!” A loud voice calls. Suga’s eyes widen and he looks towards the sound of the voice. Daichi tenses up. To their surprise Kei’s teacher, Nishinoya stands there along with Azumane from Shouyou’s daycare. Suga gives Daichi’s arm a reassuring squeeze.

“Nishinoya-sensei. I’m surprised to see you here.” Suga flashes one of his sweet smiles.

“You too. Oh, Akaashi-san. Is Kei-kun playing then? Asahi’s nephew wanted us to come but my car wouldn’t start so we’re running late.” Nishinoya looks at the court. He spots Kei still resting on Bokuto’s lap. “Oh wow I’ve never seen Kei-kun so chill with someone touching him. He must like that coach.” 

“Hello, Azumane-sensei,” Akaashi says to the gentle giant. Asahi scratches the back of his head and waves a bit.

“Hello, Akaashi-san.” He nods his head. Nishinoya’s jaw drops.

“Asahi you know Akaashi-san too?” He asks. Asahi nods. 

“Akaashi’s son Shouyou is in my class.” 

“Oh, the hyper little orange kid. I love him. Is he here?” Nishinoya asks looking around.

“He’s over with Kei and Bokuto,” Suga points over at the bench. They all turn to look, Kei has gone back into the game and Shouyou is back on Bokuto’s lap. 

“That’s Bokuto from the black jackals, isn’t it? Do you guys know him well?” Nishinoya looks excited. 

“He’s an old friend,” Akaashi explains. “He’s staying with us while he’s on his break.” 

“Akaashi’s being humble. Him and Bokuto played volleyball together in high school. Akaashi was his setter.” Suga brags.

“It wasn’t that big of a deal.” Akaashi can never handle praise well. 

“We should focus on the game,” Daichi suggests. He’s still making sure to catch pictures. 

“Oh right. Come on Asahi I see your sister over there. Let’s meet up later Sawamura-sensei. I wanna get an autograph from Bokuto if I can.” Nishinoya grabs Asahi’s hand and pulls him to the other side of the bleachers.

“Told you he played for our team,” Suga says proudly. 

“Him and Azumane are total opposites though.” Akaashi smiles as Kei successfully serves the ball. 

\---

Kei’s team wins the game. It was just a casual game but all the kids look tired and proud of themselves. Kei runs over to Akaashi and clings to him, bouncing excitedly. Akaashi hugs him tight and presses a kiss to his head. 

“You did so good Kei! I’m so proud of you,” He gives him more kisses and Kei laughs instead of trying to get away. He pulls back a bit so he can use his hands to sign. He talks about the game excitedly, his hands moving so fast Akaashi almost can’t understand it all. He responds as much as he can. Bokuto is still stuck on the court. A bunch of parents and older kids swarm him for autographs and pictures. He’s holding Shouyou on his hip again so he turns down the pictures but he’s happy to sign autographs and talk with fans. Shouyou chats with everyone happily as he hangs on Bokuto. 

Akaashi holds Kei on his lap while they wait. Daichi shows them the pictures that he took on his camera screen while Suga chats more with Nishinoya and Asahi. 

“Akaashi?” A woman’s voice comes from the side of them. Akaashi raises his head to look at her.

“Ah Kuroo-san,” It’s Bokuto’s sister. Akaashi is surprised to see her but he realizes that he should have expected it since she was Tetsu’s mom. 

“It’s been forever! I thought it might be you when Tetsuro was telling me about his new friend. This must be Kei-kun then.” She waves at the tired boy on Akaashi’s lap. Kei gets shy again and holds onto his father's shirt. 

“Yes, this is Kei. He’s a little shy though. Kei, this is Tetsu-Kun's mom. She’s Bokuto’s sister.” Akaashi rubs his son’s back to try and help him relax. 

“Oh, that’s alright. I don’t think I’ve seen you since you were in high school Akaashi. So you’re married now? Tetsuro says that Kei has a little brother. Is he here too?” Her quick-talking is a clear reminder that she’s related to Bokuto. Akaashi always had trouble keeping up with the conversation when the whole family was around. 

‘Um… well I’m not married anymore. I do have two sons. Um, Bokuto actually has the little one.” He explains. 

“Oh! Is that the little redhead that was hanging on him the whole game?” She looks at the court where Bokuto is still talking to the few people left. Shouyou is looking a bit bored now and he’s trying to reach up and grab onto Bokuto’s hair.

“Actually he looks like he’s ready to start pulling hair. I better go stop that disaster.” Akaashi stands Kei up then gets to his feet. “It was good to see you again Kuroo-san.”

“Of course! I’m sure since the boys are friends we’ll be seeing more of each other. I’m glad to see that you and Bokuto are friends again. He’s a lot more chill when you’re around.” Akaashi gives her a polite smile then takes Kei’s hand and leads him over to Bokuto and Shouyou. As expected, Shouyou now has a hand in Bokuto’s hair. 

“Shou don’t pull hair,” He scolds the toddler. Shouyou pouts as Akaashi reaches up to untangle his fingers from the gelled spikes. 

“Akaashi!” Bokuto grins at him. Kei leans against Bokuto’s legs and stares up at him. 

“Good game,” Akaashi takes Shouyou from him and gets a wipe from his bag to clean the gel off his hands. 

“The kids did great!” Bokuto ruffles Kei’s hair gently. “Ah my sister mentioned before that she was going to take Tetsu out for a treat after the game. We could all go if you want to. There’s a cafe just down the street. We can walk down there.” Kei whines a bit at the mention of walking. 

“I think that will be fun. Kei do you want to get a treat with Tetsu-kun?” Akaashi asks. Kei looks a little torn but he ends up nodding. The promise of sugar and more time with his friends winning out over his exhaustion. “Are you good to go then Bokuto-san?” 

“Yeah I should be good to go,” Bokuto looks around the gym. “It looks like all our kids have parents here and it's Ushijima’s turn to clean up. Let me just get my bag and I’ll meet you guys outside,” 

“Mm, sounds good. I’ll see who all is coming with.” Akaashi touches Bokuto’s arm then takes Kei’s hand and heads back to the others. He can feel those wide golden eyes on him as he walks away. 

Shouyou gets excited again when he sees that Daichi is holding Vabo-chan so Akaashi hands the toddler off to the cop. Tetsu and his mom are still with the group, apparently, Tetsu attends the same school as Kei and he’d been in Suga’s class the year before. Nishinoya has joined them as well. Asahi’s family isn’t that comfortable with him hanging around so he had planned to go home after the game. Akaashi tells them all about going out for a treat and Nishinoya invites himself along. The group moves outside to wait for Bokuto to join them. 

Akaashi is happy to have so many adults around for once. The three kids entertain each other and Akaashi listens to Suga and Nishinoya as they complain about their coworkers. Daichi shares his pictures with Tetsu’s mom since Kei and Tetsu had ended up in a lot of the shots together. Every now and then Shouyou’s vabo-chan gets tossed up into the air as the hyper child pretends it's a volleyball. 

“Akaashi,” Bokuto sings the name as he jogs over to join the group. Akaashi can’t help the smile that pulls at his lips at the sight of the man. Bokuto jumps forward when he’s close enough and throws his arms around the shorter man, crushing him in a hug. 

“Too tight Bokuto-san,” Akaashi manages to wheeze out. Bokuto releases him, flashing a bright smile. Akaashi wants to kiss him. 

“Shouyou!” Kei’s voice is hoarse with disuse. Akaashi turns to look at the kids and his heart stops. Kei is running towards the road, yelling his brother’s name. Shouyou stands in the middle of the road, bending down to pick up his vabo-chan. Bokuto and Daichi are the first to react. They rush for the road. 

“Shouyou!” Akaashi yells as he chases after them. There’s a car heading for the toddler. Everything in Akaashi’s vision seems to move in slow motion. He sees Bokuto rush into the road as Daichi grabs Kei to keep the blonde child from doing the same thing. Shouyou stands there with his eyes wide, frozen. He’s too small to be seen by the car. Bokuto dives forward and grabs him. The car hits his back, sends him rolling across the pavement with Shouyou wrapped in his arms. There’s a squeal of tires as the car stops. Bokuto doesn’t move. 

“Shouyou! Kotaro!” Akaashi runs over and drops to his knees beside them. Shouyou is crying. Bokuto’s arms hold him tightly, his bare skin scraped up. “Kotaro.” He reaches out but his hands are shaking. Bokuto’s eyes are closed. 

“Don’t move him.” Daichi drops down beside Akaashi. “Bokuto-san can you hear me? It’s safe, you can let go of Shouyou.” Bokuto’s lips part and his grip on the toddler loosens. Akaashi picks his son up carefully. Holding him as still as the sobbing boy will let him. He doesn’t have any visible injuries and Akaashi cradles him in his arms. 

“It’s okay baby, you’re okay. Papa’s got you,” He whispers into orange curls. He can’t take his eyes off of Bokuto. “You’re okay.” He’s not sure who he’s talking to anymore. 

“An ambulance is coming,” Suga tells them. He stands on the side of the road holding Kei with his back to the road. Bokuto’s sister is there as well, covering Tetsu’s eyes while the child tries to see. 

“Kotaro,” Akaashi reaches out and cups Bokuto’s cheek gently. Bokuto’s eyes slide open, gold seeking gunmetal blue.

“Shou-chan?” he asks.

“He’s okay. He’s not hurt.” 

“Don’t move okay Bokuto?” Daichi instructs. “If you’ve got a spine or back injury it’ll only get worse.” 

“I told you I’d be faster next time,” Bokuto’s eyes close again. His face scrunching up in pain. 

“Oh god Kotaro,” Akaashi can’t help the sob that rips out of his chest. 

“Don’t cry Akaashi. Daichi says I’m not allowed to move. But if you cry I’m gonna have to hug you.” 

“Don’t you dare,” Akaashi wipes at his eyes. “Don’t move until the paramedics tell you too.” 

“Stop crying then. I’m not dying or something. It just hurts like a bitch.” Bokuto smiles.

“Language,” Akaashi moves Shouyou back a bit and wipes the tears from his face. ‘It’s okay Shouyou. Everything’s okay now. I know it was scary.” 

Kei breaks away from Suga then. He runs over and throws himself at his father and brother, clinging to them both tightly. He’s speaking again, whispering Shouyou’s name over and over. Akaashi hugs them both tightly. 


	17. Chapter 17

Akaashi sits in an uncomfortable chair in a hospital room. The room is dark and he stares at his phone screen. Someone had caught the whole thing on camera. It was all over the internet now. He watches, again and again, watches as the car hits Bokuto’s back, no not his back, his shoulder takes the brunt of the hit. Bokuto is asleep in the hospital bed in front of him. Painkillers doing a good job of keeping him out of it. 

The accident left him with road rash on his arms and legs, his shoulder had been fractured. Bruises covered most of his back. Looking at the bandages wrapped tightly around the wing spikers shoulder made Akaashi feel sick. Bokuto wouldn’t be able to play volleyball until it healed. He’d be out for the season at least, maybe longer if it didn’t heal right. Akaashi drops his phone into the pocket of his hoodie and leans his arms onto the bed. He puts his head down and slides his fingers between Bokuto’s. 

“Keiji…” Bokuto murmurs in his sleep. Akaashi gives his hand a squeeze.

“I’m right here Kotaro.” He presses a kiss to the back of Bokuto’s hand.

“Shou?” Gold eyes crack open just a bit, scanning the room.

“He’s safe. He’s home with Suga and Daichi. You protected him.” Akaashi’s eyes are burning with unshed tears. Bokuto’s eyes fall closed again and his breathing evens out. It’s not the first time he’s woken up to ask about Shouyou. It had taken some arguing but Akaashi had gotten the hospital to agree to let him stay the night. He wanted to be there whenever Bokuto woke up. 

He doesn’t remember falling asleep himself but suddenly there are people in the room talking softly and fingers running through his hair. His glasses are gone from his face too. He moves his head closer to the hand.

“Physical therapy is going to be the most important part of the recovery process. I’m sure that as an athlete you understand that. You need to follow the instructions closely in order to regain the flexibility that your shoulder had before.” Akaashi thinks the voice belongs to the doctor he spoke with yesterday.

“How long will I need the sling for?” Bokuto curls a piece of Akaashi’s hair around his finger absently. 

“Six weeks for now. We’ll keep track of your healing progress and see if more time may be needed as we go along.” 

“Okay… I’m supposed to be going back to Osaka at the end of this week but now that I can’t play that may change. I’ll have to talk with my coach and maybe make arrangements for a doctor out there.” A calloused finger pokes at Akaashi’s cheek. “Kashi I know you’re awake.”

“Sort of,” Akaashi sits up, his back and neck aching from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position. Bokuto grins at him, there are fresh bandages over the road rash on his arms and there’s a new brace on his shoulder. The black fabric wraps around his shoulder and a good portion of his upper arm. There’s a strap that goes around his chest and another on his arm that keeps it at his side. Akaashi is certain that the bruises on the other man's back will look even worse than they did yesterday. He isn’t looking forward to seeing it again. 

The doctor leaves some paperwork on the table beside Bokuto’s bed and then heads out. Akaashi watches him go then stands and twists a bit to try and get rid of some of the discomfort in his back. He wants to ask about what he overheard, but he doesn’t want to make assumptions either.

“We can go home soon. I just gotta sort some paperwork out. There’s lots of instructions I have to follow. You can help me right?” Bokuto asks as he uses his mostly good arm to pick up the paperwork and read it over. 

“Yeah of course… Where’d my glasses go?” He squints and tries to spot them.

“Oh, I put them on the table. I didn’t want you to break them while you were sleeping.” Bokuto picks up the black frames and holds them out. Their fingers brush when Akaashi takes them. Bokuto smiles at him then holds out the papers as well. “Tell me what I need to do?” Akaashi takes the papers and sits on the edge of the bed, careful not to jostle Bokuto at all. 

“Are you…” Akaashi chews his lip for a moment as his eyes scan over the papers. “You have to go back to Osaka then?” 

“Oh… Well, I’m not gonna be able to play for awhile… I’m not sure. I need to talk to the coach and stuff.. My phone has been blowing up all morning. I guess everyone’s seen what happened.” Bokuto shifts, his face scrunching up in pain. Akaashi drops a hand onto his leg.

“Sit still. I saw the video… I’m sorry… I should have been watching the kids more closely… Shouyou shouldn’t have been able to reach the road.”

“Keiji there were six adults there. We all missed it. It was just a freak accident. Shit happens.”

“But your shoulder Bokuto-san it-”

“Kotaro.” 

“What?”

“Ko-ta-ro, you’re my boyfriend so you should use my name.” Akaashi’s face flushes red and Bokuto looks smug.

“Boy… Boyfriend?”

“Mhmm, I’ve been thinking about it. You broke up with me without even giving me a real reason. You didn’t give me a say in the matter so I’m not giving you a say in this one. Unless you can look me in the eyes and tell me that you don’t have feelings for me.” Bokuto lays his hand on top of Akaashi’s. “You never look me in the eyes when you lie.” 

“Bo- Kotaro. I don’t think…” He can’t look him in the eyes. Akaashi bites his lip. 

“We can talk about it later. When we’re home okay?” Bokuto taps the papers. “Do I need to sign these or something? It’s gonna look like shit…” 

“Oh right.” Akaashi hands the pen to Bokuto and shows him where he needs to sign the paperwork. Bokuto’s handwriting is barely legible on a good day and with his left hand, it looks more like scribbles than anything. But the hospital accepts it and Akaashi is able to help Bokuto into the clothes that Iwaizumi had dropped off for him the day before. He can’t wear the t-shirt, but he gets the track jacket on without too much trouble, and it’ll have to do for now. 

Getting him out to the car turns out to be more challenging than either of them had anticipated. The news of Bokuto’s accident is still spreading and a group of reporters and some of his fans are gathered outside the hospital. Akaashi has to leave Bokuto out of sight in the hospital lobby while he goes and finds where Daichi had parked Bokuto’s car after bringing it from the gym. He pulls up as close to the doors and grabs a hat from the backseat before going back to where Bokuto sits waiting.

“It’s just a small crowd,” Akaashi tells him. He runs his fingers gently through Bokuto’s hair, the gel from yesterday has lost most of its hold so his hair sticks up in random spots and hangs down in others. Akaashi puts the hat on him to hide it. He likes the idea that not everyone gets to see Bokuto with his hair down. 

“Sorry about this Keiji… you’re probably gonna end up in some pictures,” Bokuto winces as he gets to his feet and wraps his good arm around Akaashi’s waist. 

“I’m not worried about myself. Can you stand okay? I think you should stay in the wheelchair til we get to the car.”

“It’s fine Keiji. I don’t want to be photographed in a wheelchair.” There’s a stubborn look in his gold eyes and Akaashi knows that there’s no point in arguing with him when he’s like this. Instead, he wraps his arm around the other man, being careful of his various injuries and helps him walk out to the waiting car. Thankfully everyone seems pretty respectful of the athlete's personal space. He gives them all a wave and a smile, promises to give a statement soon but tells them he’d really like to go home and rest first. Akaashi helps him lower himself into the passenger seat. He can see the pain on Bokuto’s face. 

“Bokuto-san! Is there any truth to the rumor that the child you saved is yours?” someone calls from the ground. Akaashi’s eyes narrow and he turns to look at the group, wondering where it came from. 

“It’s not worth it Keiji,” Bokuto warns, he catches akaashi’s hand and gives it a tug. “Help me with my seatbelt. Akaashi sighs and turns back around to lean into the car and buckle him in. They both know that Bokuto probably could have managed it with his left hand but the distraction worked anyway. Akaashi gets into the car when he’s done and heads for home. 

“I’ll make sure things are cleared up when the statement gets put out. I’m going to call the team manager and get things sorted,” Bokuto promises. 

“There’s a lot of images of Shouyou floating around right now… Pictures from that photoshoot where you were holding him and some from the game you took the kids to… I’d rather those get taken down more than anything,” Akaashi’s fingers tap on the steering wheel nervously.

“The team has lawyers they can work on that. People are getting stupid. No one should be able to post pictures of a minor without parental consent. We’ll at least get his face hidden if we can. Maybe his hair too. It’s probably more recognizable than mine.” 

“You’re probably right. Should they just make photoshop him bald then?” Bokuto laughs at that and then groans when the laughter upsets his injuries. 

“Keiji no being funny right now.” Bokuto pouts. Akaashi gives him a small smile. 

“Sorry… Kotaro.” Bokuto grins at him. “Suga told the kids that you’re hurt so they should be gentle with you… They can spend the night next door if you want to relax a bit.”

“I’m not gonna kick the kids out of the apartment. I can handle a little bit of cuddling. I’m sure they’re both upset. Kei was talking, right? That was him yelling about Shouyou.” 

“Yeah, that was Kei… I haven’t heard him speak in so long. They were worried about you yesterday but I think Shou was really in shock about the whole thing. I don’t think he understands what happened.” 

“I want them to see that I’m alright. It couldn’t have been easy for Kei to see someone get taken away by an ambulance.”

“Suga said he had a night terror last night but he seems to be doing okay otherwise. He’s back to not speaking again though so I’m not sure… He might need an extra session with Tanaka-sensei.” Akaashi pulls into his building's parking garage and finds a spot to park on one of the upper floors. 

“You should have gone home last night,” Bokuto scolds. 

“I know but… I couldn’t bring myself to leave you. I know you were on a lot of painkillers but you kept waking up and asking for me and if Shou was okay,” Akaashi gets out and goes around to Bokuto’s door to help him out of the car. 

“Whatever they gave me made me have really weird dreams.” Bokuto wraps his good arm around Akaashi and leans some of his weight on the slender man. Akaashi locks the car and then helps him inside to the apartment.

“I’ll help you get settled in bed before Suga brings the kids back.” 

“I’m not crippled Keiji. I can still move around on my own.” Bokuto pouts. Akaashi gives him a stern look.

“You’re going to sit in one place and not upset your injuries. I’ll bring you whatever you need.” 

“You can’t take care of me and the kids. I’m fine I promise.”

“Let me…” Akaashi can feel his cheeks flushing. “Let me take care of my boyfriend.” It’s a low blow but it does make Bokuto agree. Akaashi helps him out of his shoes once they're inside and then brings him to the bedroom. Bokuto sits on the bed and Akaashi stacks up the pillows behind him. There are prescriptions for medication that will need to be picked up. Akaashi thinks that he might be able to convince Suga or Daichi to pick them up. 

“It’s good to be home,” Bokuto says with a smile. “Hospitals totally suck. Do you think you can help me wash my hair later? I feel like there’s still dirt and stuff in it.”

“Yeah of course. Do you want to do it now?” 

“Nah I can wait til the kids go to bed. I wanna see them. I know you said Shouyou didn’t get hurt but I feel like I can’t believe it til I see him.” 

“Mm I understand,” Akaashi sits beside Bokuto on the bed and texts Suga to tell him he can bring the kids over. He closes his eyes for just a moment.

“Keiji?”

“Yeah B-Kotaro?” 

“It wasn’t your fault.” 

“I… I know.” Akaashi lies. Bokuto scoffs and Akaashi knows that he doesn’t believe him. They hear the sound of the front door opening and then there’s a thunder of footsteps down the hall. The bedroom door bursts open as Shouyou rushes into the room.

“Boku!” He shouts as he jumps onto the bed.

“Woah Woah slow down Shouyou,” Akaashi picks him up and holds him on his lap. “Bokuto-san got hurt so we can’t move him too much.” Shouyou stares at Bokuto with wide eyes. Kei peers into the room from the doorway with an unsure look on his face. 

“Hey, Shou-chan.” Bokuto strokes the toddler's hair with his good hand. “Are you okay? You didn’t get hurt?” Shouyou shakes his head then stands on the bed and turns around to show that he doesn’t have any injuries. 

“No ouchies for me Boku!” he flashes his big smile and Bokuto smiles back.

“I’m glad to hear it,” He turns his attention to the doorway and gives Kei a softer smile. “Hey Kei, why don’t you come up here too?” He pats the bed. Kei shuffles into the room and stares at them all for a moment before he climbs up onto the bed carefully. He keeps his eyes on Bokuto. 

“You were so brave,” Bokuto tells him. He reaches out and takes the young boy's hand. “I got to Shou-chan so quickly because of you.” Kei stares at their hands. 

“B...Boku” His voice is soft, still a bit hoarse. Bokuto grins wide and tugs Kei to sit on his good side. He wraps his arm around the small blonde. 

“You did a good job Kei. I’m gonna be alright, and Shou-chan is safe,” Kei curls into Bokuto’s side watching him carefully for any signs that something is wrong. Akaashi’s sure that it must hurt somewhat at least but the white-haired man does a good job of keeping his face normal. Akaashi leaves the children in the bed with Bokuto and goes to talk to Suga in the living room. Like he expected Suga is more than happy to go pick up the prescriptions. He leaves them some food that Daichi had cooked as well so that Akaashi doesn’t have to worry about feeding the kids. 

The four of them spend the day in bed. Bokuto has to make a lot of phone calls so Akaashi lends him his Bluetooth earpiece. The kids watch movies on Akaashi’s tv while the adults figure things out. Kei finally gets some sleep, his hands clenched in Bokuto’s jacket and Shouyou ends up falling asleep sprawled across Bokuto’s legs. Akaashi has that warm fuzzy feeling in his chest again as he watches them all. 

Bokuto finishes his last phone call and lets out a long tired sigh. He shifts a bit trying not to jostle either of the children sleeping on him.

“You need me to move them?” Akaashi asks. Bokuto shakes his head and softly strokes Kei’s hair.

“No, let them sleep. Summer break is starting for Kei soon isn’t it?” 

“Yeah July 20th,” Akaashi takes Kei’s glasses off him and sets them on the nightstand. 

“Wanna take a trip then?”

“A trip?”

“Mhmm, Coach is going to come out here to Tokyo with some of the PR people. We’re gonna do a press conference. But I am going to have to go to Osaka. Even if I’m not playing at the start of the season I should support my teammates. I’ve got two bedrooms at my place down there. The boys would have to share but I bet we could make it work.”

“You want us to come to Osaka?” 

“Of course. I want to spend as much time with you guys as I can.” Akaashi has a lot that he wants to talk about with him. He feels guilty like he’s doing something wrong by letting himself be with Bokuto. He’s injured because Akaashi couldn’t watch his kids. He might miss out on an entire season of volleyball. Maybe even end up losing his spot on the team. His shoulder might never be the same again. He might never play professional volleyball again. If Akaashi had just stayed away from him like he was supposed to then none of this would have happened.

“Keiji you need to breathe,” Bokuto’s hand grips Keiji’s, the touch pulling him back out of his head. He realizes that his chest is tight. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “Just breathe Keiji. It’s alright. Take your time.” 

“Sorry… sorry I don’t know…” Akaashi keeps focusing on his breathing.

“You don’t need to apologize Keiji. Can you tell me what just happened or do you need some more time?” 

“I think… I think I need a minute.” 

“That’s alright. Take your time.” Akaashi focuses on Bokuto’s breathing, trying to match it. 

“Sorry I’m… It doesn’t usually happen this often…” He furrows his brow and focuses on their hands. 

“Do you need to hug a baby? I can probably spare one.” Bokuto jokes. Akaashi forces a smile.

“I’m alright Bokuto-san. Thank you.” 

“Hey.” 

“Kotaro. I’m sorry…” Akaashi sighs. 

“Come here. Let’s all just cuddle and rest today. I’m sure there’s room on me somewhere. We’ll figure stuff out tomorrow.” Bokuto gives him a gentle smile and tugs on his hand.

“I don’t want to hurt you,”

“My back’s fine right now. I’m not moving my shoulder. Cuddle with me, Keiji.” Bokuto pokes his lip out in a pout. Akaashi nods a little and then shifts closer. He moves Kei onto both of their laps and lays his head on Bokuto’s chest.

“Is this okay?” he really doesn’t want to cause Bokuto anymore discomfort. 

“Mhmm perfect. I get cuddles from all the Akaashi boys.” 

“I’m not sure the way Shouyou’s laying counts as cuddling. He kinda looks like a starfish.” Akaashi reaches down and ruffles the orange curls. 

“I’m not sure my shins are the most comfortable place to sleep. Do you think we should move him?” 

“I’ve seen him sleep hanging upside down from a swing. I think he’ll be fine. Are your legs asleep?” 

“Nah he barely weighs anything,” Bokuto wraps his arm around Akaashi and closes his eyes. “Rest time.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” 

“Keiji.”

“Right, sorry.” Akaashi closes his eyes and tries to relax.


	18. Chapter 18

“Keiji,” Bokuto presses a kiss to the top of Akaashi’s head. The dark-haired man blinks his eyes open and sits up. 

“Sorry… I didn’t mean to sleep,” he fixes his glasses and runs his fingers through his hair.

“No apologizing. I’d let you keep sleeping but I need to use the bathroom. Can you get the kids?” 

“Yeah of course,” Akaashi shifts away from Bokuto and lays Kei onto the bed between them then retrieves Shouyou from the other man’s legs. He gets up from the bed and tucks the toddler in next to his brother. Bokuto gets up from the bed stiffly and heads down the hall to the bathroom. 

Akaashi stretches out. He’s completely sore now. He needs to stop sleeping in weird positions. He goes to the kitchen to get himself a bottle of water and finds Bokuto’s medication on the counter with a note in Suga’s neat handwriting.

**Got all the prescriptions! Tell Bokuto he owes us game tickets. Also, you can bet your ass I took a picture of your cute little cuddle puddle. You can make it your Christmas card. XOXO Suga**

Akaashi laughs a bit and makes a mental note to ask Suga to send him that picture later. He needs to get the pictures from Kei’s volleyball game as well. He feels bad that they didn’t get to celebrate the win. Bokuto shuffles into the kitchen after a few minutes with his track jacket taken off. He takes the water bottle from Akaashi, finishing it off. Akaashi definitely is not staring at his bare chest.

“Do you think you could help me with my hair now? My head feels kinda itchy.” 

“Oh yeah sure,” Akaashi is sure he’s blushing. “You should take your medicine first. We’re gonna have to take your brace off to keep it from getting wet… it’s probably gonna suck.” 

“You got my prescriptions already?” Bokuto picks up the pharmacy bag and looks inside it.

“Suga picked it up. He says you owe him game tickets.” Akaashi gets him some more water. 

“I would get those for him anyway.” Bokuto takes two pill bottles and a cream out of the bag and reads the instructions. He opens one of them and digs a pill out then takes the water from Akaashi and uses it to swallow the pill. 

“Yeah but it’s better if he thinks you’re doing it to pay him back. Suga is a devil and you don’t want to owe him anything.” Akaashi takes both pill bottles and puts them on top of the fridge. “Don’t reach for those. I’ll get them down when you need them. I just don’t want the kids getting their hands on them.”

“Got it.” Bokuto takes his hand and pulls Akaashi to the bathroom. Akaashi carefully helps him out of the brace. Like He expected the bruising looks terrible. Most of Bokuto’s back is black and purple. 

“I think… um…” He clears his throat. “I think there’s no way to do this comfortably without you getting completely wet.” 

“Are you suggesting I strip Keiji?” Bokuto says with a teasing tone. 

“Well… I mean you don’t have to. I can probably… figure it out.” Akaashi glances away. He can barely handle Bokuto shirtless let alone with any less clothing. 

“Hmm no no I think you’re right. I rolled around on the ground and then spent the night in a hospital. I feel pretty gross I should clean up properly. Of course, I can’t really bend at all so I’m going to need help with the rest of my clothes.” Bokuto has a grin on his face. Akaashi takes a deep breath, he thinks that his head might explode if he blushes anymore than he already is. Bokuto’s fingers brush against his wrist. “Help me wash up Keiji?”

“I… yeah, okay…. Sure,” Akaashi nods. “Let me get a chair for you.” He slips out of the bathroom and puts a hand on his chest. He takes a deep breath and then goes and grabs a plastic chair from Shouyou’s bedroom. Back in the bathroom, he sets the chair in the shower then turns to face Bokuto again. The older man’s arms are still bandaged and Akaashi remembers that the road rash will need to be taken care of too. 

“You don’t have to help me if you feel uncomfortable,” Bokuto tells him softly. 

“It’s alright really… I was just trying to remember how to care for your arms,” He steps closer to Bokuto and gently unwinds the bandages from around his forearms. 

“Did you read all the instructions?”

“Yeah I want to make sure you heal properly. The doctor didn’t think your arms would scar but I read some stuff online to help make sure,” Akaashi tosses the old bandages into the garbage then looks at Bokuto once again. “So um… can you manage your pants and… or do you actually need help?” He feels stupid. He managed to shower with the whole volleyball team around when he was going through puberty he should be able to handle this. Hell, he’s been naked with Bokuto in much more intimate situations. He shouldn’t be getting flustered like it's his first time. 

“I think I can manage,” Bokuto pushes his pants and boxers off and then sits carefully on the chair with his back to the other man. Akaashi takes a deep breath and turns the shower on. He washes Bokuto’s hair first, getting out all the day-old gel. Bokuto lets out a deep sigh and tilts his head back.

“Fuck why does that feel so good?” He asks. Akaashi laughs a bit and massages his scalp.

“Because you got hit by a car yesterday and anything that’s not painful feels good?” 

“Mmm, probably more about your unfairly long fingers. Can we just do this forever?” 

“I think we’d run out of hot water first,” Akaashi covers Bokuto’s eyes with one hand and rinses out his hair with the other.

“Can you wash my hair every time from now on?” 

“Then I’d be washing the hair of everyone in this house. But I will help you until your shoulder is healed.” Akaashi presses a kiss to Bokuto’s forehead, he tells himself that it’s just a habit from washing the boy's hair. “Hair’s done.”

“Now what?” Bokuto looks up at him through his bangs. Akaashi picks up a washcloth and lifts Bokuto’s good arm, dabbing gently at the injured skin. 

“I’ll put some of that cream on these and rewrap them when you’re dry,” He moves to Bokuto’s other side and kneels down to clean his other arm without having to move his shoulder. This arm is worse off. His eyes feel like they’re going to water again and he looks up at Bokuto. “Thank you for saving him Kotaro. I don’t… if something had happened to him.”

“Hey now,” Bokuto lifts his hand to brush it against Akaashi’s cheek. “Stop it. There’s no reason to think of what ifs. Come on, up on your feet. I really can’t function when you’re on your knees while I’m sitting here naked.”

“B...Bokuto!” Akaashi scolds as he jumps back up to his feet. Bokuto laughs hard and then winces. “Don’t laugh, you're going to hurt yourself.” Akaashi turns the shower off and then grabs Bokuto’s towel and holds it out. Keeping his eyes averted. Bokuto is still chuckling as he stands up and takes it. He wraps the towel around his waist then steps up behind Akaashi, slipping an arm around him and resting his head on his shoulder. 

“I can’t help it Keiji, you’re just too cute when you’re flustered.”

“Bokuto your hair is dripping all over, you’re getting my shirt all wet.” 

“Your shirt is already wet. You might as well take it off,” Bokuto tugs at the damp fabric. 

“You’re injured Bokuto.”

“Kotaro”

“Fine. You’re injured Kotaro. I’m not taking my shirt off because you apparently have no self-control.” Akaashi crosses his arms.

“That’s because I said you were my boyfriend and you didn’t say no. I’m happy Keiji. I’ve missed you.” 

“I… I just think that you should really think about this. You’ve got so much going for you and I’m… I’d just hold you back.”

“What?” Bokuto moves back and turns Akaashi around so they’re facing each other. “You’re not holding me back Keiji. I want to be with you. More than I want anything else. I’ve always felt that way… did you… is that why you broke up with me? You thought you would hold me back?” 

“You didn’t need me anymore Bokuto. I saw it in those last games you… you were like a different person and I… I was never going to be good enough to keep up with you. You got drafted to play pro right away and you’ve done so amazingly for yourself.” 

“Fucking hell Akaashi you’re supposed to be the smart one. That’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever said. I want you. I’ve always wanted you. More than anything else. You broke up with me and I waited for you. Because you didn’t look me in the eyes when you did it. I knew you didn’t want to end things. So I waited. And then I found out from my mom that you’d gotten married.” He grips Akaashi’s shirt and tugs him closer. “You broke my heart. I thought I’d done something wrong or that… that you’d stopped loving me.” 

“Never… I never stopped loving you. I just… we were… I couldn’t be the reason you gave everything up.” Bokuto pushes him against the counter and presses close, kissing him hard. Akaashi grabs onto the countertop to keep his balance. “Ko… Kotaro your arm.” 

“Fuck my arm. I can’t believe all this time…” Bokuto kisses him again. Akaashi puts a hand on Bokuto’s chest and moves him back gently. 

“You need to take care,” He presses a quick kiss to Bokuto’s lips. “We have time.” 

“Damn it Keiji. All those years. We should have been together.” 

“I… I know. I’m sorry.”

“You’re mine now alright. I’m never letting you go again.” 

“Okay. Whatever you want. But let me put your brace and bandages back on. I really don’t want your wounds to get worse.” 

“See this is what I mean. You’re about to start crying and you’re still being all level-headed. Where were those brains back then.” Bokuto kisses him once more before he moves back. Akaashi takes a deep breath and picks up the brace. He gets Bokuto’s arm strapped back in place and helps him into clean pajama bottoms before leading him to the living room. Bokuto sits on the couch while Akaashi gets the bandages and cream for his arms. 

“I am sorry…” Akaashi says softly as he joins Bokuto on the couch. 

“I know. If I didn’t like those kids so much I’d find a way to go back in time and smack you upside the head for even considering yourself not good enough.” 

“They like you too…” Akaashi carefully applies the cream to Bokuto’s arms. “I think… I always felt that way. From the first time, I saw you in my third year of junior high. You shined so brightly when you were playing. I wanted the whole world to see how amazing you were. I thought that I was lucky… that I could even stand beside you for a little while. I didn’t think I deserved it… I didn’t deserve you.” 

“I love you Keiji. I need you to promise me something.”

“What is it?”

“If you start to feel that way again you need to tell me. Talk through it with me. Let me help you. I promise I don’t care what anyone else thinks. I want you. I want the boys. It’s going to be tough while we figure things out but I’m willing to do whatever it takes. You’re my world Keiji. I’ll do whatever I need to to keep you.” 

“I will… I’ll tell you.” Akaashi wraps the bandages around his arms. 

“When I’m healed we’re going to make up for lost time.” Bokuto tugs him forward and kisses him softly. 

“I’ll tell Suga and Daichi to be prepared to babysit.”

“Good. Am I all patched up now? Let’s go lay in bed so I can kiss you more.” 

“Let me move the kids to their beds first. You need to make sure and sleep on your good side.” Akaashi stands up and goes to the bedroom. He moves Shouyou first since he’s the easiest then goes back for Kei. He has to wake the older boy up gently, he doesn’t want him to have a nightmare and be confused when he wakes up somewhere else. Kei is dazed, still half asleep but he lets his dad guide him down the hall and into his own bed. Akaashi tucks him in with a stuffed dinosaur. Bokuto is already sitting on the bed when Akaashi gets back to the bedroom. He smiles at Akaashi and holds out his hand. 

“Come cuddle Keiji.” 

“I need to change because someone couldn’t dry his hair properly.” Akaashi grabs another towel and tosses it at Bokuto’s head. 

“I’m injured Keiji!” Bokuto whines. He rubs the towel on his hair with his good arm. Akaashi goes into the closet and changes into his pajamas. “You could at least change where I could see you.”

“You’re injured Kotaro,” Akaashi throws back at him. He comes back out to the bedroom and takes over drying Bokuto’s hair for him. “Did they decide when the press conference will be?”

“Two days. Give them time to get everything together and for me to adjust to the injuries.”

“You’re not going to lose your spot on the team are you?”

“No, I’ll be benched until I’m cleared to play again. But I haven’t lost my spot. I’ll do some more promotional stuff for the team probably.” 

“Nothing that strains your arm I hope.” Akaashi hangs the towel over the closet door then cards his fingers through Bokuto’s hair to push it back from his face. 

“The athletic trainers will clear anything.” Bokuto closes his eyes and leans forward resting his forehead on Akaashi’s chest. 

“People are probably going to ask about Shouyou…” 

“Yeah probably.” 

“What are you going to tell them? That photographer from last time leaked some of the pictures of you holding him at the club. There’s pictures out there from the game too.” 

“It’s up to you Keiji. I’ve never been subtle about my sexuality. I haven’t come right out and said it but I’m sure it's obvious.”

“Well, I’m… We’re… dating now right?”

“Very much so. You have to wait at least seven years before you can contest since you made me go seven years without you.’

“I’m not going to contest.”

“Good.”

“I guess then you could say… You could say that he’s your partner's kid. People are already speculating that he’s your secret love child or something.” 

“You’re okay with that?” 

“I want to support you. I think it will clear things up more. We… We could come too. If you want us there.” Akaashi keeps a hand on Bokuto’s head to steady him as he backs up. Bokuto pouts at the loss of contact and Akaashi laughs a bit as he moves around to sit on his own side of the bed. Bokuto lays down on his good shoulder, facing Akaashi.

“I’d like you there.” Akaashi takes a couple of extra pillows and puts them behind Bokuto to keep him from rolling over in his sleep. 

“Then we can come with you.” 

“Good now lay down already and be my little spoon so I don’t roll around in my sleep.” Bokuto pouts at him. Akaashi smiles and presses a kiss to his cheek then puts his glasses on the nightstand before laying down. Bokuto shifts a bit closer and presses a kiss to the back of Akaashi’s neck. “I love you Keiji. Even if you’re a little dumb sometimes.”

“I love you too Bokuto-san.”

“Ko. Ta. Ro.”

“Good night Bokuto-san.” 

“Brat.” They both fall asleep with smiles on their faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry folks that's as spicy as we get around here.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is technically the last chapter of this fic, the next one will be an epilogue. So I'm going to say my thank yous here. I feel like I've never written a fic that's gotten so many comments so quickly. I love hearing all your feedback and reactions to each chapter. It really motivated me to keep writing. Every time I got a new comment I wanted to write like five more chapters. It was hard for me to keep it at 20 chapters but I felt like this was a good place to end. BokuAka has probably become my favorite Haikyuu ship possibly beating out Kurotsuki even. I'm thinking that I'm going to do a DaiSuga fic next time so I hope that some of you will come back and check that out as well. But enough rambling. Thank you all so much for all your kind words! feel free to keep talking to me! You can find me on [Tumblr!](https://heyitstaytay21.tumblr.com/)

Akaashi sits on the couch with his computer on his lap trying to do some of his work. The press conference had been scheduled on a weekday and he’d had to take the day off in order to attend it but he didn’t mind it too much. A car would be coming to pick them up in a couple of hours. Kei and Shouyou sit on the living room floor focused on the cartoon playing on the tv. They were both excited to get to sleep in on a weekday and they were still lounging in their pajamas. 

“Keiji” Bokuto drops onto the couch next to him and winces when the movement jostles his bad shoulder. Akaashi gives him a stern look.

“Kotaro I told you to be careful. Sit down like a normal person,” He scolds. He’s starting to think it's impossible for Bokuto to actually sit still for anything. 

“Ugh that’s so boring,” he slumps against Akaashi’s side and puts his head on his shoulder. 

“The more careful you are now the quicker it will heal,” He turns his head and presses a kiss to Bokuto’s head. 

“I know I know it’s just annoying.” Bokuto lifts his head again and leans in for a real kiss.

“A kiss!” Shouyou yells. The two men pull apart to find both of the children watching them. 

“That was a kiss.” Bokuto nods. Shouyou scrambles over and climbs onto the couch with them.

“You kissed papa.” The toddler pokes at Bokuto’s face. “Like Suga kisses Dai!” 

“Does Suga kiss Daichi a lot?” Bokuto asks. Shouyou nods his head.

“Lots and lots. Do you kiss papa lots?” 

“When he lets me.” Bokuto glances at Akaashi with a smile. Akaashi’s face feels warm. 

“Are you husbands?” Shouyou sits on Bokuto’s lap with a curious look on his face. 

“Shou remember you have to get married to be husbands. You were at Daichi and Suga’s wedding when you were just a baby.” Akaashi reminds him. He hadn’t really thought of how to explain things to the kids. They’d been around the Sawamura’s long enough that the idea of two men being together wasn’t new to them but they’d never experienced Akaashi dating anyone. He glanced at Kei, more worried how the older boy would feel.

“I wasn’t a baby,” Shouyou says. He wiggles around until he’s facing the tv again and watches his show. He seems to have lost his interest in the subject already but Kei is still looking at them. His face shows nothing and Akaashi knows that definitely comes from himself. 

“Kei?” He motions the blonde boy closer. Kei gets up and climbs up to sit on his father’s lap. “Me and Bokuto are going to be dating now. That means he’s going to be my boyfriend.” 

“Is that alright with you guys?” Bokuto asks. He tilts his head down a bit to meet Kei’s eyes. Kei leans against Akaashi’s chest and fidgets with his fingers. 

“ _ Like a mommy and daddy?”  _ Kei signs. Akaashi translates for Bokuto who is still trying to get used to the sign language. Kei has spoken a few times since the accident but he’s still hesitant to do it. Akaashi doesn’t want to pressure him. 

“It’s similar to a mommy and daddy. When two people like or love each other a lot they want to be together. That’s what um… That’s what it means when you’re a boyfriend or a girlfriend. Since me and Bokuto are both boys that means we’re boyfriends.” Akaashi explains.

“Are you gonna get married?” Shouyou asks. He’s only half paying attention to them now. 

“Maybe one day.” Bokuto smiles. “Me and your papa just started dating so we’ll figure that stuff out later on.” Kei picks up Akaashi’s left hand and points at his wedding ring. Akaashi slips it off and sets it in Kei’s palm. 

“That’s the wedding ring I got when I married your mom. I wear it to remember her by.” Kei holds the ring carefully in his hand and stares at it. Akaashi slides him onto the couch. “Wait here for a moment.” He goes into the bedroom and retrieves a small wooden box from the back of his closet. He opens it up to make sure everything is still there then brings it to the living room. He sits on the couch once again and opens the box so both the boys and Bokuto can see inside. 

On the top is a photograph. In it Runa sits on a picnic blanket with three-year-old Kei beside her. They’re surrounded by cherry blossoms. Runa is laughing at something, her eyes squeezed shut, one hand rests on her rounding stomach. It was taken during the cherry blossom festival, a couple of months before Shouyou had been born.

“Mama.” Kei holds the ring tightly in his hand.

“Yeah that’s your mama,” Akaashi watches Kei and Shouyou’s faces closely. The toddler leans closer.

“Where’s me?!” He asks loudly. Kei points at Runa’s stomach.

“You were still in your mama’s tummy,” Akaashi tells him. Shouyou uses Bokuto’s shirt to pull himself onto his knees. 

“Where’s papa?” he asks. 

“I was on a business trip…” He was always on a business trip. How much of Kei’s first years did he miss? Sleepless nights and all of Kei’s firsts. He’d missed so much. He wraps his arm around Kei’s shoulders and presses a kiss to his blonde curls. 

“What’s a business trip?” Shouyou is full of questions now.

“When your mom was alive I had a different job. It meant that I had to travel all over the country to meet with people. I changed jobs when you were born so I could stay home with my little boys.” Shouyou stands up, still balancing on Bokuto’s lap. Bokuto keeps a hand on the small toddler to keep him from falling. 

“I wanna travel!” he declares. 

“Be careful please Shouyou, remember we have to go to Bokuto’s meeting later so I don’t want either of you getting hurt.” Akaashi warns. He takes Runa’s wedding ring out of the box as well. It's just a simple silver band a bit thinner than his own had been. They hadn’t had a lot of money when they got married. It seemed smarter to skip any gemstones. He hands that one to Kei as well. 

“Papa,” Kei looks up at him. 

“Yes, baby boy?” Kei puts both the rings carefully back into the box then turns and hugs Akaashi. 

“I miss mama,” he says softly. Akaashi hands the box to Bokuto and then hugs Kei tightly, his own eyes watering.

“I know Kei. I know you miss her.” He’s spent too much time in his own head. He should have paid more attention to the boys. He should have known that they wanted to talk more about their mom. 

Bokuto sets the box carefully on the coffee table and then sits Shouyou back down on his lap. He wraps his arm around Akaashi and pulls him and Kei closer. Shouyou stretches his arms wide and tries to hug them all. Akaashi can’t help but laugh a little and wrap the tiny boy in his arms as well. He snuggles against Bokuto’s side and though he feels sad he also feels satisfied. Like their little family is complete again. 

\---

The press conference is a bit nerve-wracking. Akaashi and the boys are seated in some chairs on the side of the room out of the way of the camera’s and he still feels nervous. He’s not sure how Bokuto can be so relaxed. He sits at a long table with his coach, the team's manager, and one of the athletic trainers. Akaashi had spiked his hair for him and he was wearing a rather form-fitting team polo shirt that had been a pain to get on. Akaashi wasn’t looking forward to having to help him out of it again. The white brace on his shoulder stood out against the black fabric. 

Akaashi had settled on a simple pair of black pants and a maroon cardigan for himself over a white shirt. He had attempted to get the boys into nice clothes but neither of them was having it. They’d ended up with Kei in jeans and a green dinosaur shirt that Suga had bought him recently and Shouyou once again wouldn’t wear anything but his black jackal's jersey. Akaashi had stuck a baseball cap on his head as well since his orange curls were easily recognized from the video of the accident.

Bokuto looked like he was having fun with the whole thing. They’d started off by explaining Bokuto’s injuries and the treatment plan they were going to implement to get his arm back to where it had been. They’d named the teammate that would be taking Bokuto’s place on the starting lineup as well. Kei didn’t seem to be interested in the whole thing. He had his headphones on to block out the noise and was just staring straight ahead. Shouyou was antsy. Akaashi had given him his phone with the sound turned off and some game Bokuto had introduced to him to keep him distracted. 

It’s not enough though apparently. Akaashi’s never been a fan of those child tethers he’s seen online but when Shouyou hops off his chair and bolts away before Akaashi can even react he thinks about reconsidering it. Shouyou ducks under the long table at the front of the room. Akaashi doesn’t want to make a scene by trying to go after him. He catches Bokuto’s eye and points under the table. 

Bokuto scoots his chair back a bit and looks down then laughs. The team manager pauses in what he’s saying to look at him and suddenly the whole room's attention is back on Bokuto again.

“Uh sorry. Carry on. Just caught a mouse under the table.” Bokuto reaches down with his good arm and pulls Shouyou up onto his lap. “He might be an eel actually. He’s really slippery when he wants to go somewhere he’s not supposed to.” 

“Boku help.” Shouyou pouts holding the phone into his face. The camera flashes stop but the reporters are all scrambling to ask who Shouyou is and if he’s the boy that Bokuto had saved. Bokuto looks at Akaashi and meets his eyes. Akaashi nods. He wants to be with Bokuto. Whatever comes with that. Bokuto fixes Shouyou’s game then looks at the reporters.

“Everyone’s been asking after the kid. Wanting to know if he was hurt or anything. Well this is Shou-chan and as you can see he’s totally over the whole thing. Right Shou?” Bokuto looks down at the toddler on his lap. Shouyou blinks and looks away from his game, seeming to notice the cameras and the microphones for the first time. He puts down Akaashi’s phone and leans onto the table close to the mics.

“Hi!” He says in his usual bright voice. Bokuto keeps a hand on the toddler. 

“Shou-chan is not my biological son like a lot of people have been asking. He’s actually one of my partner’s sons. So it’s pretty likely I’ll be spotted with him and his brother more often in the future.” Bokuto pats Shouyou on the head gently. “Shou-chan go sit back with papa. We’ll be done soon.”

“Nuh-uh.” Shouyou shakes his head and smiles up at Bokuto. 

“Keiji can you get him?” Bokuto asks. Akaashi wishes he could disappear. He gets up from his chair and makes his way behind the table to pick Shouyou up. The toddler whines a bit and tries to reach for Bokuto. 

“Sorry.” Akaashi bows a little bit and goes to move away. Bokuto catches his shirt though and pulls him down to plant a kiss on his cheek. Akaashi’s face flushes red and he gives Bokuto a stern look before moving back to his seat. Bokuto grins wide and Akaashi is glad he has the kids as a shield. They can’t be shown in any photographs. 

When they’re on their way home Akaashi gets a text from Suga with a picture attached. Akaashi takes one look at it and wants to die of embarrassment all over again. When he’d bent down for the kiss his body had covered most of Shouyou from the cameras. Now there was a picture of Bokuto kissing him floating all over the internet along with the story of Bokuto coming out. Akaashi wonders how long he can get away with working from home to avoid attention. 

\---

“Boys are asleep,” Bokuto says as he lays down in their bed later that night. Akaashi has his computer on his lap and is trying to finish up his work. Bokuto had offered to get both of the boys to bed and surprisingly he’d managed it with little fuss. 

“Thank you Kotaro,” Akaashi sends off his last email and then closes his computer and sets it on the nightstand. 

“Ah, there’s the Kotaro. You’ve been calling me Bokuto all day again.” Bokuto grins and rolls onto his good side, propping his head on his hand. Akaashi leans down and kisses him. 

“Lay proper.” 

“You’re so bossy Keiji.” 

“You’re incorrigible.” Akaashi leans over and props some pillows behind Bokuto’s back. 

“Stop using big words. I didn’t go to university.” Bokuto whines. 

“Impossible to be corrected, improved, or reformed.” Akaashi takes his glasses off and puts them down on the nightstand. “Mostly because you never turn the light off before you get into bed.” He gets up and goes to hit the light switch. He thinks that he should get some of those smart lights he can turn off with his phone.

“Did you figure out the stuff for the boy's summer break?” 

“I put in the request for time off.” Akaashi gets into bed and snuggles close to Bokuto. 

“Mm good. It’s gonna suck being away from you guys. I wanna put it off as long as I can.” 

“It’ll be hard now…. I’ve gotten so used to having you around.” 

“I know. We’ll figure it out though. Once the games start there won't be much for me to do besides my physical therapy. I can do that anywhere really.” 

“Okay… Are you su-”

“Seven years Keiji. You’re not allowed to dump me again for seven years.” Bokuto shifts a bit and tugs Akaashi against his chest. 

“I won’t. Not again… I just don’t want to get in the way of your dreams.” 

“Don’t care. We’re doing this. We love each other and that’s all that matters. Stop doubting things.” He presses a line of kisses against Akaashi’s neck. 

“Kotaro your shoulder.” Akaashi scolds him. Bokuto lets out a long sigh.

“Just a little bit?” he whines.

“Not until your shoulder is healed.”

“I’m going to die.” 

“Drama queen,” Akaashi says fondly.


	20. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again thank you all so much for your kind words. As a farewell to this fic I gift you with some glimpses into the future of the BokuAka fam.
> 
> See you all again soon!  
> [Tay-Tay](https://heyitstaytay21.tumblr.com/)

Seven months later

Akaashi stands on a ladder and tapes the final side of the banner to the ceiling. Bokuto’s hands on his hips keeping him steady. They’ve been dating for nearly seven months now and while it wasn’t exactly easy to figure things out with Bokuto’s schedule they’d been doing well. Bokuto’s shoulder had healed properly but he still had to miss the majority of the season and he still gets some pain when he works it too hard. Today wasn’t about them though. For the past two years Daichi and Suga had been trying their hardest to become parents and finally today they were bringing their son home. 

“Papa!” Shouyou yells. He and Kei are sitting at the table making welcome cards for their new cousin. 

“Yes, Shou?” Akaashi steps down from the ladder and backs up to make sure it's straight. 

“Can we eat cake now?” 

“No stupid. We have to wait for Daichi and Suga,” Kei rolls his eyes.

“Kei don’t call your brother stupid.” Akaashi scolds.

“Yeah don’t call me stupid, stupid.” Shouyou sticks his tongue out. 

“Shou-chan,” Bokuto warns. “Both of you apologize. Name calling isn’t nice.” 

“Sorry Kei…” Shouyou mumbles.

“Kei.”

“Sorry.” Kei huffs and then puts down his colored pencils. “I’m done.” Bokuto goes over and leans on the back of Kei’s chair to look at the card he’s made. 

“Good job Kei!” He ruffles the blonde curls. “Let’s put it with the present you got him.” Kei nods and slides off his chair. He goes to the little pile of presents and attaches the card to the one he’d picked. 

“Boku is cousin gonna be a baby?” Shouyou asks, he scribbles vigorously with a blue crayon.

“No, remember he’s a big kid. He’s a year older than Kei.” 

“That’s eight,” Kei says. 

“Exactly.” 

“Where’s he been if he’s not a baby? Papa got us when we were babies.” Shouyou switches to an orange crayon.

“Well, you and Kei were born from your mommy. Daichi and Suga are adopting their son. That means that he’s a little boy that didn’t have a family.” Bokuto picks up a packet of balloons and fills a few more with helium. 

“So now he’ll have two Papa’s?” 

“I think that Suga decided he wanted to be papa so Daichi will probably be Daddy.” Akaashi gets some streamers and starts to hang them as well. Kei and Shouyou share a look.

“A Papa and a Daddy?” Kei asks. 

“Mhmm” 

“Like we have Papa and Boku?” Shouyou puts his crayons down. “Does that mean Boku is our Daddy?” Bokuto loses his grip on the balloon he was holding and it shoots across the room. Akaashi turns from what he’s doing and looks between the two boys then at Bokuto. 

“I uh... “ Bokuto is clearly flustered. He meets Akaashi’s gaze “Do you… Want me to be?” 

“That’s… I mean it would uh… It’d probably be easier for them to explain,” Akaashi had thought about it, a lot. But he hadn’t wanted to pressure the boys. It was up to them to decide what Bokuto was to them.

“Daddy,” Kei says like he’s testing the word. He’s done really well with speaking. He’s still not the most talkative but he only uses sign language now when he’s feeling anxious or overwhelmed. He wears his headphones more around his neck now though so they’re ready when he needs to block out noise. 

‘If uh… If you guys want to call me that then you can.” Bokuto is practically vibrating with excitement. 

“I like Daddy.” Shouyou folds his card and slides off the chair to go put it with his gift.

“That’s great.” Bokuto rubs his eyes a bit. Akaashi thinks he might be tearing up a bit. He takes a deep breath and tries to focus on the decorations. Daichi and Suga will be home at any moment. 

“I want a bloon!” Shouyou jumps up and down trying to reach one of the balloon strings.

“Balloon,” Kei corrects. 

“Bloon” Shouyou catches a string and lands on his butt. “I got it!” 

“Kei, Shouyou please help finish up the decorations. They’re gonna be here any second.” Akaashi finds his phone and checks to see how far away they are. Kei grabs some of the decorations but Shouyou just sits and plays with his balloon. Bokuto goes to Akaashi and drops against his side. 

“Keeiiiijjjiii” He whines quietly. Akaashi wraps his arm around Bokuto’s waist and kisses his cheek.

“I know. I wasn’t expecting it to come up today.” 

“My heart's gonna explode Keiji. I wanna just hug them till they pop.”

“Don’t pop the children Kotaro. It’d make an awful mess.” Akaashi slides his phone into his pocket. “Come on. We can meltdown tonight. We owe it to Daichi and Suga to get this done for them.” 

“I can’t handle it,” Bokuto whines. There’s a loud pop and Shouyou starts to sniffle with the remnants of his balloon in his hands. Bokuto rubs his face against Akaashi’s shirt then stands up straight and goes to comfort the toddler. Akaashi makes a face at the wetness now on his shirt then goes to put the finishing touches on the streamers. 

Despite Shouyou’s almost meltdown they do manage to get the finishing touches put on the apartment. There’s a table full of snacks and an ice cream cake waiting in the fridge. Bokuto is holding Shouyou upside down and tickling his stomach and Kei is playing on Bokuto’s phone when the front door opens.

“We’re home!” Suga calls as he comes inside. Bokuto flips Shouyou and sets him on the ground. Daichi comes into the apartment as well holding the hand of a child with soft brown hair and a nervous look on his face. 

“Welcome home!” Shouyou yells, he runs to the entryway and stares at the new child with wide eyes. Suga holds his hand out to the child.

“It’s alright, come on inside.” The boy slips his shoes off then steps inside and holds Suga’s hand. He stands close to the silver-haired man as he takes in the apartment and the people standing in it. Shouyou is bouncing with excitement but he’s careful to give them some space too. Suga kneels down and puts his arm around the boy.

“Chika this is Shouyou, he’s your cousin now. Shou-chan this is my baby boy Chikara.” Suga beams proudly. 

“He’s not a baby Suga. He’s eight. That’s older than Kei,” Shouyou says proudly. Akaashi can’t help but laugh a bit.

“Shou come here, give them some space to get settled.” Akaashi holds out his arms and Shouyou runs over launching himself into his father’s arms. 

“That is Akaashi Keiji, he’s your uncle and that boy with the glasses is your other cousin Kei.” He points at Bokuto last. “And that’s Bokuto Kotaro hes-”

“He’s my daddy!” Shouyou yells. Bokuto blushes and rubs the back of his neck. Suga grins.

“Oh, of course he is. He’s your uncle as well.” 

“It’s nice to finally get to meet you Chikara. Your dads have been talking about you forever.” Akaashi smiles softly at the boy. 

“Welcome to the family!” Bokuto slips Kei’s headphones off his head and nudges him forward.

“Nice… to meet you,” Kei says quietly. He slips behind Bokuto’s legs to hide a bit. Daichi comes the rest of the way inside holding Chikara’s suitcase. 

“Let’s go put your bag in your room, Chikara and then we can eat some food and you can get to know everyone.” He takes Chikara’s hand again and leads him back to his bedroom. Shouyou is wiggling so Akaashi puts him down and watches him run after Daichi. Suga goes to Akaashi and throws his arms over his shoulders and slumps against him.

“My baaaabbbyyy” Suga says. Akaashi has to wrap his arms around him to keep him from sliding to the floor.

“Deep breaths Suga.” Akaashi laughs softly. 

“He’s so cute Akaashi. He’s so polite and he gets shy and I just wanna hug him forever and never let go. Ugh, and Daichi is such a dilf it’s killing me.” 

“What’s dilf?” Kei asks, peeking out from behind Bokuto. Akaashi pinches Suga’s side and makes the silver-haired man squeak.

“It’s an adult thing,” Bokuto says. He scoops Kei up in his arms. “Let’s go see what the other kids are doing.” He flashes a grin at the two other men and carries Kei down the hallway.

“Be careful Bokuto don’t hurt yourself,” Akaashi calls after him. 

“Guess I need to watch what I say now…” Suga mutters. 

“You’re just realizing that?” 

“Shut up. I’m too happy for anything to bring me down today.” Suga stands up straight and goes to the table. He picks up a grape from a bowl and pops it into his mouth.

“I’m happy for you to Suga. You guys have worked hard for this.” 

The little party goes well. The kids and Bokuto devour the food and Chikara is excited to open all of his presents. He is not as loud as Shouyou but once he gets more comfortable he’s a lot more talkative than Kei. Daichi and Suga dote on him the whole time, making sure he’s comfortable and has everything he wants. Suga has to restrain himself from being too clingy, he wants to give Chikara the space he needs to adjust to this new home and family. In the evening the kids settle down to watch a movie in the living room while the adults sit around the dining room table.

“You guys are going up to Miyagi to see your families next week right?” Akaashi asks. Bokuto’s arm rests on the back of his chair and he leans into him.

“Mhmm yeah, our parents are way too excited about being grandparents. Plus we want to show Chikara the new house and his school.” 

“I can’t believe you guys are moving back. What am I going to do without you two living across the hall?” Akaashi asks. He’s felt a bit anxious since they announced the move. But it makes sense. They both have a lot of family and friends in Karasuno and they wanted to raise their son around that. Akaashi would have done the same if he could have. 

“You’ve got Bokuto now to help you.” Daichi points out.

“Yeah but Kotaro is no Daichi and Suga,” Akaashi turns his head and presses a kiss to Bokuto’s cheek. “No offense.”

“I’m a little offended” Bokuto pouts. Akaashi gives him another kiss.

“I still think we could pack them up and bring them to Karasuno with us. Kei and Shouyou are practically our children too,” Suga steals a bite of cake off of Daichi’s plate. 

“We’re already far enough away from Osaka as it is,” Akaashi says with a shake of his head. Bokuto tugs Akaashi closer and rests his chin on his shoulder.

“A flight from Osaka to Sendai wouldn’t be too bad though… it's like a little over an hour.” 

“You looked that up?”

“Well yeah. I know you moved into this apartment to be close to them. I thought you might consider it.” 

“Stop being so considerate.” Akaashi gives his boyfriend a quick kiss. 

“You’re my world. I’d follow you anywhere.” Bokuto grins wide. Akaashi can feel his face heat up. 

“Oh god it's so sweet I might die,” Suga hides his face in Daichi’s shirt.

“Stop being such a drama queen,” Akaashi flicks a cake crumb at the other couple and it hits Daichi in the forehead. 

“Why me?” Daichi asks. He picks up a napkin and wipes his forehead. 

“Your husband chose you as a shield,” Akaashi shrugs. Daichi sighs and runs his fingers through his husband’s silver hair. 

“So what’s your plan then? Your lease is up soon.” Suga sits back up already on a different subject. 

“Mm yeah… actually Bokuto’s parents are getting a bit older. Their house is a bit too big for them now so they’re looking for something smaller.” Akaashi looks at his boyfriend. 

“They offered it to me and my siblings for the cost of the condo they want. My eldest sister already has a house in the same neighborhood and my other sister likes her fancy apartment so she’s not interested. Between me and Keiji we can afford it.”

“So you guys are buying a house together then? Have you told the kids yet?” Daichi asks.

“No, not yet. We want to make sure it's all sorted first. They’ve both been to the house a few times so I don’t think the move will be too hard.” 

“That’s great!” Suga says. He pulls Daichi’s plate closer and finishes off his cake.

“I was going to eat that,” Daichi complains. Suga pulls him in for a kiss. Akaashi shakes his head and stands up to go refill his and Bokuto’s coffee mugs.

\---

One year later

Akaashi sets down the last box from the truck and sighs. His back is killing him from all the heavy lifting they’ve done today. He can hear Shouyou’s footsteps through the ceiling as the four-year-old explores their new house fully. Their new house had four bedrooms and both boys had been excited about it. Kei had chosen the attic bedroom that had once belonged to Bokuto’s oldest sister. Shouyou had taken over Bokuto’s bedroom, though it was the smallest he’d liked the idea of sleeping in the same room that his dad used. 

“Boys all the boxes are in!” He calls out. They’ve stashed all the boxes in the living room for a start and they’ll need to be sorted into the proper rooms. 

“Keiji,” Bokuto’s arms wrap around Akaashi’s waist and he pulls the other man back against his chest. 

“There you are.” Akaashi turns his head and gives him a quick kiss. “Let’s try and get boxes in the right rooms at least so we can put the living room furniture where it goes.”

“Come on we got everything in ahead of time. Let’s take a few minutes and just enjoy our house.”

“If we put it off now we’re going to be unpacking for weeks.” 

“Give me five minutes then.” Bokuto kisses his nose then moves back as Shouyou barrels into the living room. “Shou-chan!”

“Daddy!” Shouyou jumps up and Bokuto catches him in a tight hug. He presses a few kisses to the little boy's cheeks then sets him back down on the ground. 

“Shou-chan find all the boxes with your name on them and put them in one spot okay?” 

“Okay daddy,” Shouyou starts to flit about the room looking for his own name. 

“Tell your brother to do the same if he comes down from his tower.” Bokuto takes Akaashi’s hand and leads them to their own bedroom. It was a little weird for Bokuto to now be claiming the room that had belonged to his parents but the en suite bathroom was a definite plus. The movers that had been there earlier in the day had put the couples new king sized bed together and Bokuto had found their bedding and made it already. When they reach the doorway of the room he lifts Akaashi up into his arms.

“Kotaro!” Akaashi wraps his arms around the other man’s neck and laughs as he’s carried through the doorway. 

“It’s our first time in our bedroom Keiji. It’s only proper that I carry you over the threshold.” Bokuto drops Akaashi onto the bed and then lays down beside him. 

“That’s supposed to be for after we get married.” Akaashi curls against Bokuto’s side and rests his head on his chest. They’re home. It’s their home. Bokuto wraps his arm around his boyfriend and kisses the top of his head.

“Welcome home Keiji.” 

“You too Kotaro.” Akaashi props himself up on an elbow and kisses the other man. Bokuto brings his hand up and tangles his fingers in Akaashi’s curls as he deepens the kiss. 

“Daddy! Papa! Kei hit me!”

“He started it!” Akaashi lets himself drop against Bokuto’s chest and hides his face in the fabric of his shirt.

“Rock paper scissors?” Bokuto asks with a laugh. Akaashi shakes his head.

“It’s definitely your turn.” He rolls off Bokuto and gives him a shove towards the edge of the bed.

“Damn thought you forgot.” Bokuto presses one last kiss to Akaashi’s cheek before rolling out of bed and going to stop the argument happening in the living room. Akaashi spreads out in the bed and closes his eyes, a smile on his face. 

\---

Seven years later

Kei hates being the center of attention. He hates having to speak in front of crowds. He tugs a bit at the end of his blue gym uniform as the rest of the volleyball club members gather around them. 

“Right so, it’s sort of a tradition to have the rookies state their goals. As a team, our goal is to get into the top eight in nationals. So go ahead and go one at a time and introduce yourselves and tell us your goals. Megane-kun why don’t you start first.” The team captain says. Kei has to resist the urge to glare as he takes a step forward. He really can’t stand that stupid cat with his stupid messy hair and yellow cat eyes. 

“I’m Bokuto Kei. I’m in class 1-2. My goal is to just play volleyball.” He steps back and crosses his arms, ignoring the grin on Kuroo’s face. He wishes that he had his headphones. Yamaguchi steps forward next.

“I’m Yamaguchi Tadashi. Also in class 1-2. My goal is to do my best!” The freckled boy announces cheerfully. He takes a few steps back then flashes a smile at Kei. There are four other first years as well, including a guy that’s ridiculously tall. Kei doesn’t really pay enough attention to catch any of their names. If he needs it he knows that Yamaguchi will be able to tell him. The brunette attached himself to Kei back when they were in elementary school and they’d been friends ever since, he never seemed to mind when Kei needed to be quiet.

When the introductions are over everyone stands around talking and getting to know each other. Kei would really rather not talk pointlessly. He’s considering heading out before everyone else when a heavy arm is slung across his shoulders. He turns his head to see a familiar grin beside him.

“Kei-kun!”

“Kuroo-san.” He tries to shrug the team captain off. Kuroo is another one that’s stuck to Kei like glue since childhood. They’d been close once but over the years they’d drifted apart again. Though they were legally cousins since Kei had been adopted by his dad. Kuroo was different from Yamaguchi. He knew that Kei hated to talk and instead of just letting him be silent he was always trying to push Kei out of his comfort zone.

“Kuroo-san!? What? What happened to Tetsu?” Kuroo asks with a devastated look on his face. Kei stays silent. He knows that Kuroo will cheer himself up.

“Kuroo! Stop picking on the newbies!” one of the other third years yells. Kei thinks he might have been introduced as the team's libero. He’s short so he’s probably a libero.

“This isn’t just a newbie!” Kuroo declares. “This is Kei! He’s my cousin!” 

“Bokuto-kun if he’s bothering… wait. If you’re Kuroo’s cousin does that mean you’re Bokuto Kotaro’s son?” Yaku, Kei remembers now that his name was Yaku, says loudly. That gets the attention of some of the other club members and draws them over. Kei wonders how he can get free of Kuroo’s hold. He really hates attention.

“Yes… that’s…” The words don’t want to come out. “ _ Silent”  _ he signs quickly. Kuroo’s arm relaxes a bit on his shoulder.

“Hey, you guys never cared when I said that he was my uncle!” Kuroo’s arm falls off of Kei’s shoulders and then the captain moves in front of him to argue with the libero. Kei goes to look for his headphones. 

\---

Two years later

Normally Kei likes training camp. He gets time away from home where he can focus on nothing but volleyball. It’s anything but quiet really but he was usually too tired from the workouts to care too much and the camps held at Nekoma meant he knew plenty of places to hide away if he really needed it. 

This year however was different. Now the vice-captain Kei had to focus more on things. The biggest problem though was the fact that their first camp of the year would be held at Fukurodani. The problems start as soon as they arrive at the school. The Fukurodani team is outside the gym to greet them and Kei can already see a familiar head of orange hair bouncing around. 

“Kei!” Shouyou yells as he breaks away from his team and jumps at his older brother. Kei steps to the side at the last second and Shouyou crashes to the ground. 

“You guys know each other?” Lev asks. The giant of a third-year lifts Shouyou off the ground. 

“Unfortunately.” Kei goes to get his bag.

“Kei’s my big brother!” Shouyou shouts excitedly. He kicks his feet, dangling from Lev’s hold. 

“He is? But he’s tall and you’re so tiny!” Lev says in shock.

“I’m not tiny!” Shouyou frees himself and moves away to glare at Lev. 

“Ah come on guys, let’s get inside we can do our introductions and stuff once we put our things away,” Yamaguchi moves behind Shouyou and nudges him back towards his own team. “We’ll see you later Shou-chan.”

Kei sighs when his brother is out of sight. So much for being able to have a peaceful third year of high school. Volleyball is practically all Shouyou has talked about since he was accepted to their parent's alma mater. Especially after he’d met the prickly setter Kageyama. Apparently, they had some sort of secret attack that would make them better than everyone else. Kei was especially annoyed because he knew that his younger brother had talent for the sport and that he’d spent years trying to perfect his knock-off energy beam spike. Shouyou was determined not to let his height keep him from following in their Dad’s footsteps. 

\---

Ten years later

Bokuto Keiji is so nervous that he thinks he might be having a heart attack. He grips his shirt tightly over his heart and takes several deep breaths. Beside him his son Kei sits fidgeting with his hands on his lap, he won’t admit to it but he’s probably nervous as well. 

“He should have retired this year,” Kuroo sits on the other side of Kei with his feet propped on the seat in front of him. Kei smacks his legs to remind him to move them again, he’s sure the people who are going to be sitting there would be annoyed. 

“Papa told him to but he didn’t want to miss out on this.” Kei adjusts his glasses. 

“He’s retiring after this year,” Keiji tells them. “His shoulder is shot…” both father and son had seen the signs of it over the years. An old injury flaring up once again. 

“Ah, it’s starting,” Kuroo says. The three men all sit up straighter as the announcements begin. 

Bokuto Kotaro stands on the side of the court. His normal pre-game adrenaline rushing through his veins. He jumps in place a few times, feeling the now familiar ache in his knees. A lifetime of volleyball taking its toll on his joints. Beside him, his son Shouyou stands perfectly still taking deep breaths.

“Smells like air salonpas huh?” Kotaro asks. Shouyou turns to him with a large grin as he nods his head. This isn’t their first time on the court together. Shouyou had gone off to Brazil shortly after he graduated from high school but he’d returned and joined the Black jackals. They’d played side by side for a while now. This time was different though. This was the Olympics. The world stage. This was the end of Kotaro’s career as a player. When the Olympics were over Kotaro’s retirement would be announced and he would pass the torch to his sons.

“On the other side of the net, all eyes are on him. Shouyou Bokuto, the world's greatest decoy! After two years of beach volleyball in Brazil, He returned to Japan and joined the V. league.”

“Do you need to use the bathroom at all?” Kageyama asks, bumping his shoulder against Shouyou’s. 

“Middle school was ages ago!” Shouyou yells back at him. Kotaro moves behind the two boys and slaps them both on the back to distract them from the budding argument.

“In his first Olympic appearance he gets to play alongside not only his father Kotaro Bokuto but also his old teammate Kageyama. In high school, they were feared as potent masters of aerial combat!”

“Get out there everyone!” The coach calls to the team. “Let’s once again prove to the world that volleyball is fun.”

“Set the ball for me a whole bunch today, okay?” Shouyou says with a smile as he looks at the setter.

“If your bumps are good enough,” Kageyama replies. Bokuto grins at the exchange and pushes both of them ahead onto the court. 

Kotaro is sad to be giving up volleyball after all these years but he knows that he’s leaving the sport in good hands. He’s going to enjoy these last moments of sharing the court with his son and then he’s going to go home and finally have a peaceful life with his husband. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm emotional


End file.
